The God-King of Ishmaere Branch 1 - The Girl and the Kingdom
by TheElatedDeity
Summary: They say that you can't play pretend God. They say that it's impossible to bring back the dead. What if I told you that the impossible is possible? Tera Matsumura is looking to do just that by hunting down the Millennium Items. But first she and her sister have a brother to save, and her sister's friends just happen to be in the way. Onward to Duelist Kingdom! YugiOC, Yami YugiOC
1. Salem's Introduction

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any components from other anime, manga, or other literary work. I also do not own any songs. I only own the Matsumura family and future OC's. Please enjoy the story.

* * *

 _Long ago, in a time when Earth did not exist - an era in which magic reigned supreme - the first humans lived on a planet called Foreheim. These humans, the Forsir, homo pythonicus, were magical beings that not only manipulated the forces of magic and its energy but also manipulated science as well. They were divided into twelve tribes and lived in twelve different regions, based on their dominant magical abilities._

 _Those with the sole, and later dominant, ability to control fire were called fire-breathers and lived in the region of Ignis, which lay in the southern part of Foreheim's largest continent. Ignis was a region where volcanoes stood as mountains and clouds were made of white smoke. But although fire reigned, the sky was blue, and the land was still beautiful and unique in its own way. Natives of that region were unharmed by fire and treated it as a living thing._

 _Those with the ability to control water and ice lived in the region of Ros in the northern part of the largest continent. Ros had two regions within it, a land made for those who mainly controlled liquid water, also called Ros, and Glacies, land of winter. Earth foreseers lived in the mountainous yet fertile region of Terra in the east, where those in tuned with the earth and its treasures, the nature spirits lived with them. In the western region of Zephyr, those with the ability to manipulate the wind used their power to free themselves from the land, even if it was for a short amount of time._

 _Foreheim also consisted of much smaller continents - which were really just islands - inhabited by the other tribes. Those commanding darkness and shadow lived in Umbra, where any shadow would instantly come to life since that region was a bridge between the material world and the world of the shadows. Their opposites, foreseers of light, lived on the neighboring island of Lumen and were the fastest of the Forsir. Although they had shadows, sometimes they were white, the presence of all colors. Those who manipulated the mind, and most knowledgeable, lived on Sophia, located on the other side of the largest continent. They could open secrets locked deep within a person's mind and, in some cases, heart. The truth could not be hidden from them easily. The only people that truly threatened that ability were the illusionists that lived on Somnium, people who relied on tricks and deception and understood all illusions, even the non-magical ones._

 _Neighboring them were those in control of time and those in control of space, both living in the two regions of Actum and keeping the space-time continuum in check. It was illegal for anyone to change the world by means of time or space._

 _Finally, came the last two and possibly the most powerful tribes. The first of the two tribes had the ability to summon otherworldly beings. Spirits, monsters, demons, dragons, you name it. The last tribe was called Arkheim, and they were considered to be the nobles among the Forsir. The reason is that they could possess any ability, whether it was wizardry or alchemy, and even possess multiple. As a result, they were known as the universal magicians. Not only that, but they were also the ruling tribe, living in Ishtar, in the center of the largest continent, with the summoners under the immortal queen_ _Gracia. For a time, there was peace, but like all people of different yet similar backgrounds, there was bound to be conflict._

 _The first conflict was between fire and water, a dispute in the countryside that erupted into regional conflict. Then came earth and air, shadow and light, truth and deception, and then time and space._ _The only two groups that didn't fight were the ruling groups. Unfortunately for the people of Foreheim, their conflict would bring about their destruction. Malevolence, a form of dark energy - it shrouded the land and allowed the Deity of Sin Deliora to enter that world._ _In a futile attempt to fight back, the seers lost their male population and escaped to earth, home to a new group of humans, still struggling to evolve - ones without magic. It was there that both types of humans joined forces under Gracia and somehow managed to repel the darkness, receiving help from Tohka Daysha, the Progenitor Magician, Candlemaker of Souls and Weaver of the Tapestry of Life._

 _With victory over the evil, Gracia was named queen of earth and a golden age began, in which humans had evolved, gained knowledge, and discovered solutions to impossible problems. But that didn't last long. A traitor by the name of Damion and his allies stormed into the palace, killing the king and princess-candidate. What they wanted was the power to rule - Gracia's power, the principle of domination. To save her people and continue her rule, she destroyed her body and sent her soul into the future to steal her successor's - or manifestation's - body. That manifestation would be called the Temple of Domination, much like her predecessors. However, in her absence, the capital city was burned down and all humans experienced declination, their evolution being undone._

 _Without the protection of their queen, the foreseers were victims of a genocide that lasted for ages. They lost all their rights and went into hiding to get them back. Some became dogs of the military to earn a few while still being true to themselves. Do you wonder why these people are killed? Fear and greed. The foreseers have covenants with angels and can summon them, though none have had the power to do that yet. They and their mothers also release tons of mana into the air when they are born, causing explosions. As for the part of greed, when seers die they reveal their feathered wings, tipped with gold or jewels. Sometimes, the wings were jewel-encrusted gold. In addition to their wings, they dawned beautiful garments and diadems, and their souls would tell the nearest person his fortune. As you could tell, fear and greed consumed the hearts of men, decreasing the population of the magical humans. Among those deceased are Kotone Matsumura, whose code name is Desiree, and her eldest child Cordelia Matsumura, whose code name is Angel. Angel was killed at the age of 16. Desiree gave birth to Salem, Gracia's successor, who stole the principle of domination and trapped Gracia within her being. Salem's birth was so destructive that Kotone became wanted for birthing her. It became illegal for foreseers to be born and all birth facilities were shut down. Six years after Salem's birth, Kotone and her husband were killed in a house fire two years after Cordelia's death, leaving Salem and her three sisters behind. Although it's not spoken of often, Salem is now being hunted, since as the last foreseer she carries the richest bounty and the best fortune, according to rumor. Salem, real name Tera Matsumura, clan Arkheim, currently lives in Domino City, attending high school with her twin sister and the sister's friends. However, she has not forgotten and neither has the spirit of the Millennium Armlet. It's impossible to forget what the sapiens have done._

* * *

 _Unknown's POV_

A flash of light. Fire. A rotting corpse. _Tera._ Its dead eyes unbelievably identical to hers. The destruction of a soul. A merge. _Tera._ Divine punishment. _Tera_. An angelic figure. _TERA._ DESTRUCTION.

Awakening from her terrible nightmare, a girl with long black hair and gentle midnight blue eyes fell out of bed, tumbling on the small set of stairs at the foot of it before lying on her stomach. In response to the pain, she uttered a groan.

"These nightmares don't know how to leave me alone." Lazily, she got up and walked towards the window and the balcony. From there she could see three gravestones, neatly arranged and carved. One for her sister, one for her mother, and one for her father, the greatest victim of the three.

The girl sighed as she looked at them, "Of course they don't leave me alone. How can they when their sources are graves?" She touched the lower part of her left breast.

"Well, graves and a scar." Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a light knock on her door. Opening the door, a young woman with blonde hair stood at the entrance. In a graceful way, the woman spoke, "Pardon me, Miss Tera, but your sisters are wondering if you will join them in the larger bath or bathe in your own room."

Not wanting to be alone with her thoughts, Tera replied in a barely audible voice, "T-the larger bath..." She lowered her head. "Um, will you please accompany me there, Francine?"

The woman, now known as Francine, smiled at the girl's shyness. "But of course, Miss. Right this way." And so Tera went to the bath, accompanied by one of the housemaids.

...

Tera scrubbed her arms softly while her twin sister Delilah scrubbed her back. Delilah was identical to Tera in almost every way, appearance wise. Both Tera and Delilah had large chests but had the heights of middle school students (152 cm; 4 feet 11 inches). Their sizes were B95/W55/H79 and both had fairly light skin. The only noticeable difference between them was the color of their hair. While Tera's hair was black, Delilah's hair was white, and as for their personalities, the difference could easily be seen. Although both are sweet girls and polite (mainly Tera), Tera is very shy and, at times, clumsy. She has a quiet and gentle nature and isn't quick to lose temper or raise her voice. But she gets startled easily and doesn't try to make friends, preferring to be with her family.

In contrast, Delilah is a confident and outgoing girl. She is also very tough and unafraid to get physical if necessary. She is always playing bodyguard for her twin, and due to her ability to reach out, she belongs to a group of friends at school. She constantly tries to get Tera to be a part of that group, using her passion for dueling to get her closer to one of them.

"So the concert's in three days?" Delilah inquired to her older sister, Veronica. The older girl replied, "Mm-hmm, in three days."

"Rini and Ringo are going to be so excited," the younger sister said. "It's a good thing I told Rini to bathe in her own bath."

Her sisters agreed. Then turning to her younger sister, Tera asked, "Ena, have you discovered the location of the other four Millennium Items?"

Ena looked in her eyes and saw the seriousness in them. "Not yet," she answered, "but I think I'm on the right track."

Ena then smiled and stuck her tongue out. "Don't worry, sis. I'll make sure you get the remaining seven Millennium Items and with them you can find the Ark."

Delilah and Veronica smiled. Soon Tera began smiling too. "Okay." Tera looked in the mirror in front of her and lifted up her left breast, revealing a lightly-colored scar. _It's_ _only a matter of time_ , she thought.

While getting dressed in her room, Tera looked into the mirror again and revealed her scar before sighing and continuing with her business. After getting dressed and putting her hair in a semi-ponytail, Tera adorned her Millennium Armlet, a gift from her aunt and the start of her hunt for the others. She was then escorted to the car and driven to school alongside Delilah and the youngest siblings, Rini and Ringo. Strapped to her thigh was her deck, safely secured in her deck holder, and in her arms was her school bag.

 _At school..._

Delilah stood near a girl with brown, shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. Her name was Tea Gardner, and next to her was a boy who had brown with a large portion spiking out to the front and brown eyes. His name was Tristan, and those two, along with the two playing Duel Monsters, were Delilah's friends. As for Tera, she sat at a desk with her back to one of the duelists, the boy with the dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes. In her ears, she had a pair of white earbuds and was listening to the idol group Winged D-E-T. While listening to the music, she was also reading a manga, one that she secretly wrote herself, in order to see what mistakes she needed to correct.

Across from the boy with dirty-blonde hair was a short boy with amethyst eyes and out-of-the-ordinary, spikey, tri-colored hair. That boy, Yugi Muto, was calling out, "Hey, Joey! Earth to Joey!" As in Joey Wheeler. "Hey, are you in there?" Yugi asked. "It's your turn."

After that, Tera proceeded to tune them out. They weren't her friends so it didn't matter. She was only near them because her sister was there. She muttered things under her breath like, "Oh no. I made Brandi totally out of character," or, "I did a pretty good job on this part." Before she knew it, someone was gently nudging her shoulder, slightly startling her. When Tera turned around, she was met with Tea's face.

Tea smiled. "Sorry to bother you, class rep," she began, "but why don't you show Joey how it's done. I hear that you're a pretty great duelist." Tera quietly stumbled to politely say no and go back to her reading.

"She is." The student council president placed a hand on her twin sister's shoulder. "Unlike our dear friend Joey, she doesn't stink," giving a cheeky grin to the blonde that was met with a glare.

"No, you did fine, Joey," Yugi assured. "I just have better cards. See, my grandpa owns a game shop." Tera's ribbon fluttered a bit at the mention of a game shop. _The_ _Kame Game_ , she thought. "I get all my best cards from him."

This made Joey enthusiastic as he wanted to go. Tera wanted to go too, so she had Delilah speak for her since she could be understood better. Yugi found that kinda cute.

"Okay," he said. "Maybe I can even get my grandpa to show us this super-rare card he's got." Tera could barely contain her excitement. Out of all the things she was passionate about, she was probably most passionate about games, particularly Duel Monsters.

 _Kame Game..._

"Grandpa?" Yugi called. "I'm home!" Tera wasted no time in looking for new cards for her deck. Delilah went to the back to greet their aunt Mona who helped out Yugi's grandfather. "I see you've brought company," Mr. Muto said.

"Gramps, could you show my friends your awesome, super-rare card?" His question momentarily grabbed Tera's attention. The possibility of seeing a rare card lured Tera to the store counter. She took out a book filled with images of all sorts of Duel Monsters cards. Excitement began to fill her as she wondered what card it would be and if it was in her card catalog.

"Rare card? My special rare card?" Gramps inquired. He stood there in thought for a moment. Due to Joey and Yugi's begging and Tera's somewhat pleading eyes, he agreed, taking out a neatly polished box. "Ready? Here it is. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon." he said. "This card is so rare and powerful that I never let it leave my hands."

"Gorgeous," Tera breathed.

As if the universe were teasing Mr. Muto, Tristan took the card from without much effort. "Doesn't look all that special to me."

Mr. Muto quickly snatched back the card. "This card is priceless," he explained. "There are only four in the entire world," he continued to cuddle the card.

That didn't seem to stop Joey, though, who said, "Speaking of priceless, I'm ready to trade!" Tera couldn't help but give him a strange look. _I honestly doubt that he's willing to trade._

"Not for this card!" Mr. Muto said, moving the card farther away from Yugi and company. Joey then took it back in favor of seeing other cards. In that moment, Delilah and Mona returned from the back and the bell on the door rang.

The person standing in the doorway was none other than Seto Kaiba. In the dueling world, he could've easily been considered one of Tera's biggest rivals, not that anyone other than the Matsumura family knew that. Shy Tera tried her best not to look at him while Delilah glared at him. Both were still offended after Kaiba publicly refused to duel Tera's duelist alter ego. _Why is he here?/Isn't he too good for this place?_ Tera and Delilah wondered.

Mr. Muto greeted him like he would any other customer. "Hello. Can I help you?" he asked. Kaiba replied, "If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me."

Everyone else looked on in shock until Mona gained her composure, smiling, "Well, hello, Seto. What brings you here this lovely afternoon?" It amazed me how she was able to remain polite, but I'm glad she did.

"I'm here to see the card,"he said, walking up to them. "Hey, are you into Duel Monsters, too?" Joey asked. "This is perfect. Maybe we could all duel together sometime."

"Me duel you? I would have more of a challenge playing solitaire." That succeeded in provoking Joey. "I am the number one ranked duelist in the country, and the favorite to win the Duel Monsters Championship. You wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me."

Yep, Joey was definitely provoked. "How about we settle this with fists then?" he said. If Delilah and Yugi hadn't stopped them, Joey would've probably made it physical.

Delilah spoke, "Gentlemen, this is not the time and place." Yugi agreed with her. However, Kaiba noticed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon resting neatly in its case on the table and pushed the others aside. He was astonished. "Can it be? The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, in a dump like this?"

Mr. Muto closed the case and moved it away from Kaiba, saying, "Well, enough window shopping. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

In response, Kaiba brought his silver briefcase down on the counter and opened it, turning it so Mr. Muto could all the Duel Monsters cards inside. "Listen to me, old man," he said. "Give me your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card, and I'll trade you all of these." Cards galore, enough to grab Tera's attention and make her eyes pop out. One thing was certain: Tera was in love with the game.

The others gasped at the sight. Mr. Muto just smiled. "Ah, nice, but no thanks." His response shocked everyone.

"Fine," Kaiba said, "if you won't trade, maybe you'll sell it. Name your price. I can pay anything you ask."

"I'm sure you could," Mr. Muto replied, "but this card is worth more to me than you could ever offer." He explained, "Not because of its power, or because it's so rare, but because of what it means to me. This card was given to me by a dear friend - " Mona smiled because she knew who his friend was - "and so I treasure this card as I do that friend, so parting with it is completely out of the question."

Tera smiled at the old man's sense of loyalty, but Kaiba seemed shocked by this. It was hard for a rich person to hear the word 'no.' Tera and her family were rich, so she could imagine, even though she had been refused before.

"You'd feel the same even if it were a common card, right, Grandpa?" Yugi asked. "Exactly," Mr. Muto answered. "You see, this precious card has bonded with my heart."

"Fine, I've had enough of this nonsense," Kaiba said before walking away. "Senile old fool," he muttered.

After he left, Mona sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry about that, you guys." Why was she sorry? "Seto can be... well..."

"A pompous, rude, obnoxious jerk?" Delilah suggested. That earned her a smack on the head. She yelped in response. "Now, now," Mona said, "there's a chance that he could become your brother-in-law. You really need to learn how to get along."

"Brother-in-law? That guy?" Joey and Tristan shouted. "Are you serious?" Tea asked.

Mona nodded. "Mm-hmm. You see, Veronica and Seto are business partners. Since MuraTech Industries is the most influential and powerful conglomerate in the world, it'll be good for KaibaCorp. But Veronica and Kaiba's relationship is somewhat personal. They were even arranged to be married at some point."

That shocked Delilah's friends. "Luckily, for both of them," Mona continued, "the girls' father got some common sense and broke off the arrangement. Seto was okay with it because he wanted to win her heart first. If you think about it, it was kind of romantic."

"Romantic my ass," Delilah muttered.

"So," Joey began, "just so we're clear, you're not the sister getting married, right?" That caused Mona to blush and put a hand on her cheek. Though it's true, Mona could've easily been mistaken as one of the Matsumura sisters. She was only seven years older than Tera and Delilah, and, in fact, she was nine years younger than the late eldest.

Joey's compliment prompted Delilah to pinch his back extremely hard. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't flirt with my aunt, Joseph. Well, it's time for us to go." She headed towards the door.

"Leaving so soon?" Yugi asked. "Remember, Yugi. Mona is the manager for Winged D-E-T and Veronica's company produces their music. If our aunt's not there to help them, then Tera and I take over. Let's go, sis." However, Tera didn't reply to her. "Uh, sis?"

Tera was holding two unopened packs, each containing Duel Monsters cards. She was currently indecisive about which one to buy. The white-haired twin mentally slapped herself for not watching her.

"Hey," Tera said to no one in particular, "which one do you think would have the better cards?"

"Hey, Yin. Isn't there a sale tonight on merch for that anime you like? Mirage something?" That grabbed Tera's attention, who knew that it was a hidden threat and settled on buying both packs, running out the door to the waiting limousine without paying.

"Three," Delilah said.

"Two," continued Mona.

"One," finished Mr. Muto.

Tera came running back, apologizing for not paying. She placed a handful of money on the counter and ran into the door on her way out again.

Delilah sighed, "What am I going to do with her?" She turned to Mr. Muto. "There's your best customer. Goodbye, guys."

She left the store, leaving Yugi and the others behind. However, Tea soon realized that Tera left her card catalog. "Isn't that the class rep's book?"

"Oh, you're right," Yugi said. "I should probably get this to her before they drive off." He took the book and headed out of the store. Fortunately, for him the car had not left yet. In fact, Tera realized that she didn't have the book with her and was climbing over Delilah to get out. It was then that she came face to face with Yugi once she got out.

The boy with spikey hair blushed at the fact that they were in close proximity. Tera blushed lightly as well.

"Um," he said, "you left your book back at the store. I was hoping that I catch up with you before you left so I could return it." He looked down in embarrassment. It was hard to lock eyes with Tera. The way she looked at him was really cute, in his opinion.

As for Tera, her cheeks were a deep red. As she took back her book, Tera struggled to thank him. "U-um, t-t-thanks, Yugi - " Her voice grew quieter - "I really appreciate it." As soon as the two locked eyes, Tera immediately backed away and climbed into the car.

"Well, Igottogothankssosomuch. Bye!" As the car drove away, Yugi smiled slightly, "Bye, class rep, miss pres," and inside the car, Delilah was making fun of her sister and her shyness.

 _Matsumura house, late at night..._

Tera, unlike her sisters, was inside her study going through a book with an intricate, gold design. Around her were shelves filled to the brim with books, their titles revealing that they had something to do with magic. Statues of women lined up the walls and in the very back of the study was a golden box.

"Show me the Millennium Puzzle," she said to the book. It obeyed her order and showed an image of Yugi with the item. Tera rubbed her head in frustration. "Aah! I was so close to it. I could've easily used my magic to snatch it!" She closed the book with a slam before placing her head on the table and sighing. "But if I did, my magical signature could've been traced. Then..."

 _Tera_

"At this rate, I'll never find get the other seven and I'll never find the Ark of the Covenant. If I can't find it, then there's no way to bring them back." She gripped her Millennium Armlet and then Yugi filled her thoughts, causing her to blush. She yelled in frustration, "I'm not even friends with the guy and I'm thinking about him! Why is this happening to me?!"

* * *

Well, there you have it. Chapter one of Sentient Energy, the rewrite for Unknown Entity. I hope you enjoyed reading it and thank you very much.

TheElatedDeity


	2. The Mark of Friendship - A Deity's Song

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any components from other anime, manga, or other literary work. I also do not own any songs. I only own the Matsumura family and future OC's. Please enjoy the story.

* * *

 _Long ago, in a time when Earth did not exist - an era in which magic reigned supreme - the first humans lived on a planet called Foreheim. These humans, the Forsir, homo pythonicus, were magical beings that not only manipulated the forces of magic and its energy but also manipulated science as well. They were divided into twelve tribes and lived in twelve different regions, based on their dominant magical abilities._

 _Now, only one seer remains - the new queen, Salem, known to her peers by her birth name. She is trapped in a world that sees her both as a monster and a way to become rich. Not even joining the military can help her now. Tell me: is it all over for the foreseeing human? Is there any hope?_

* * *

The next morning was like any other morning for the girls. That day the Matsumura twins once again went to the game shop with their friends - well, Delilah's friends. "I hope Gramps has some good cards today," Joey said. Tera, being the Duel Monsters enthusiast that she was, secretly agreed with him. She couldn't wait to start her newest hunt for rare cards.

"Hey, Gramps, We're back!" Yugi said, opening the door. But the shop was completely empty and the room dark. It was known that Mona wasn't going be there because it was her day off, but Gramps should have at least been there. Something wasn't right.

"Where do you think he is?" Delilah asked. Tea offered a possibility, "Maybe he went out."

Tera shook her head. "If he did," she spoke softly, "then he wouldn't leave the door unlocked." The phone on the wall began ringing, prompting Yugi to walk up to it and answer. "Hello? Game shop," he said.

Although it was a faint sound, Tera could hear Kaiba's voice on the other end, leading her to conclude two things: 1) Yugi's grandfather was in trouble and 2) Kaiba was responsible. Yugi's worried look only confirmed her beliefs.

"Kaiba, what have you done?" Yugi asked. Within a few seconds, the friends, plus Tera, headed for KaibaCorp Headquarters. Once they reached it, they entered the elevator and headed up. On the needed floor, they found Mr. Muto lying there.

"Grandpa!" Yugi shouted. He ran up to him, checking if his grandfather was alright.

"Yugi," Mr. Muto began weakly, "I failed. I wanted to teach Kaiba a lesson about the heart of the cards, but I lost." Tera and Delilah looked at him with concern.

"How's the old man doing?" A voice asked. Of course, the voice belonged to none other than Seto Kaiba. "Kaiba, you sleaze," Joey said. "What did you do to him?!"

Kaiba answered with, "We had a duel, that's all, with each of us putting our most valuable card as the prize. But I guess facing a champion like myself was simply too much stimulation for the old man."

"Kaiba, you should be ashamed of yourself," Tea said. "Tea's right," Delilah said. "What were you thinking?"

"It was fair," he replied, holding out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card - the one belonging to Yugi's grandfather, "and look at the sweet prize I won." He then proceeded to rip the card in half, shocking everyone.

"His rarest card..." Tera said.

"Yes, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a rare and powerful card," Kaiba said, "and this one will never be used against me."

Mr. Muto weakly reached out. "M-my treasure..." He groaned in pain. "Grandpa, hold one," Yugi said. "How could you do such a thing?"

Mr. Muto held out his deck, his arm trembling. "Yugi, here! Take this."

"Grandpa?"

"I built this deck and put my soul into these cards. I taught you everything I know. Please take them and teach Kaiba a lesson. Teach him respect for the heart of the cards."

"But Grandpa," Yugi said, "I've got to get you to a doctor. You need medical attention."

"That sounds like an excuse," Kaiba said. "Your friends can care for your grandfather, while you and I duel."

Yugi was hesitant, on the verge of tears. "Yugi, we can take care of your grandpa," Joey said.

Delilah nodded. "Yeah, you just teach Kaiba a lesson."

"Teach him a thing or two about humility," Tristan said. Yugi still hesitated. "Listen to them," Tera said. "Your grandfather's going to be just fine."

Tera had intended on using her healing abilities but was for the right time - when she and Mr. Muto were alone - so she put her family in danger.

Finally, Yugi caved in. "Alright, I'll do it," he said, grabbing his grandfather's deck. Mr. Muto responded with, "I know you will, my boy."

"Everyone, put your hands together," Tea said. She was holding a black marker, which made Tera slightly nervous. Nonetheless, she did as she was told.

"I'll mark us with a special sign." Said sign was a smiley face. Like the others, Tera looked weirdly at her marked hand.

"What gives, Tea?" Joey asked. "It's a symbol of our friendship, so when Yugi's dueling, no matter how tough it gets, he'll know that he's not alone," Tea replied. _Oh no_ , Tera thought. Although it was a sweet thought, Tera didn't consider herself Tea's friend - or _anybody's_ friend for that matter.

An ambulance came for Yugi's grandfather. Outside, Joey and Tera were told to stay and watch over Yugi. The three were taken to a duel arena on the next floor. Both Yugi and Kaiba entered the dueling platform.

"We each begin with 2000 life points," Kaiba explained. "First player to hit zero loses." In that instant, Tera's vision became distorted and she began to lose conscious. She felt as if she were slipping away, making room for another soul to take over her body. Her Millennium Armlet glowed, and the spirit inside emerged. _What's this?_ she wondered. _What am I doing in this body?_

"Playtime is over, Kaiba," Yugi said, except that it wasn't Yugi - rather, someone who resembled him. The spirit within the armlet wondered who the mysterious stranger was. She wondered why she was drawn to him, as well.

"Now Kaiba, prepare yourself! Because it's time to duel!" The stranger's voice was much deeper than Yugi's.

"Virtual systems ready," Kaiba said, "so let's begin. I attack with the Hitotsu-me Giant (1200/1000)." A holographic form of the giant appeared on the field.

"What is that?" the impostor asked.

"It's virtual simulator. It creates lifelike holograms of every Duel Monster."

The impostor furrowed his brows. "So this is how you beat my grandfather. It's my turn."

The spirit thought that he must have been delirious or he was a really good actor.

"I call on the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress (1400/1200)! Fireball attack!"

Kaiba: 1800

Yugi: 2000

"Not bad, Yugi, for a beginner," Kaiba said. "But how do you deal with this?" A clown appeared on Kaiba's side of the field. The Spirit of the Millennium Armlet felt chills that were not from her but from Tera. Well, Tera had a fear of clowns, so it couldn't be helped.

"Saggi the Dark Clown?" Yugi asked. "But that card has hardly any attack strength."

"True, your Winged Dragon's attack is 1400, while my Dark Clown's is only 600, but if I combine it with this card..."

 _A magic card!_

"The Negative Energy Generator. It triples my monster's attack. Dark Clown, attack with Dark Light."

Yugi: 1600

Kaiba: 1800

"As you can see," Kaiba said, "combining cards can be very effective."

Yugi placed a monster in defense mode, which was attacked and destroyed by Kaiba's Dark Clown.

"Hang in there, Yugi!" Joey said. But every time Yugi placed a monster in defense mode on the field, Kaiba would destroy it.

Kaiba laughed. "You're not faring any better than the old man did, Yugi. Your deck is just as feeble as your pathetic grandfather."

"My grandfather is a great man," Yugi replied, "and a better duelist than you'll ever be. He entrusted me with his cards, and I can feel his heart within this deck. I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba."

"What?"

He drew a card and smiled. _Has he found a way to turn this around?_

"My faith rewards me with Gaia the Dark Knight with a destructive power of 2300."

That shocked Kaiba. Gaia then proceeded to destroy Saggi.

Kaiba: 1300

Yugi: 1600

"It's your move, Kaiba."

"Hah! This'll be over sooner than you think." Kaiba drew card, producing a sinister look on his face - one that did not go unnoticed by the armlet spirit.

"I call on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)." The Spirit of the Millennium Armlet's eyes widened. _He has another Blue-Eyes?_

She wasn't the only one to be surprised. Yugi and Joey were shocked as well. "Surprised?" Kaiba asked. "Did you think your grandfather was the only one to possess a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"

Yugi: 900

Kaiba: 1300

"Huh. Your Dark Knight is destroyed. Faith or no faith, you will fall before my superior monsters, Yugi. Power is what this game is all about, you fool. Faith is for losers, like your pathetic grandfather. In your entire deck, there's not a single card that can stand up to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, so what hope do you have against two?"

A second Blue-Eyes appeared on the field, and victory seemed harder for Yugi to reach. "Why don't you just admit defeat, Yugi?"

"I won't give up," Yugi replied. "Grandpa's counting on me." He drew a card. "Swords of Revealing Light. It stops all monsters on the field for three turns."

"How desperate." Kaiba said. "What possible good will a 3-turn delay do you?" The spirit had to disagree. Three turns could either save or destroy you in a duel.

Yugi -the impostor Yugi spent a lot of time thinking, tempting the spirit to peer inside his mind. But she didn't out of fear of having her host discovered.

"Quit your stalling, Yugi," Kaiba said, "or you will forfeit the match."

"I never forfeit." he drew a card and gasped. _Oh?_

"Draw any card you like. It won't change a thing. My dragon may be frozen for another two turns, but my new monster is under no spell - the Judge Man with an attack power of 2200." Judge Man attacked a monster in defense mode.

"Dark Magician (2500/2100), attack. Your Judge Man falls."

Kaiba: 1000

Yugi: 900

"Oh, a sacrifice doesn't even phase me," Kaiba said. And though neither dragon can move for one more turn, my next card id the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

 _A third!_

"Now, my dragon, attack!"

Kaiba: 1000

Yugi: 400

"So tell me, Yugi, how's your faith now? On my next turn, all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons are free to attack. This game's over no matter what card you draw." The spirit sensed doubt in Yugi. He seemed to be believing Kaiba's words. _If only he had a card like Exodia... wait._

She looked at Yugi's hand. _Is that the reason why he hasn't used those cards?_ She felt his faith returning. _I'll call it a hunch._

"Draw your last pathetic card," Kaiba said. "so I can end this."

"My grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards. But it does contain" - his showed his newly drawn card to Kaiba - "the unstoppable Exodia."

The expression on Kaiba's face - one of disbelief and maybe even fear? "Aah! Impossible!"

"I've assembled all five special cards - all five pieces of the puzzle."

The five pieces of Exodia appeared on the field before merging into one.

"Exodia! It's not possible! No one's ever been able to call him!"

"Exodia, obliterate."

Kaiba screamed as the monster destroyed his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

Kaiba: 0

Yugi: 400

"You did it, Yugi! You won!" Joey exclaimed. "Yes, well done," the spirit chimed in.

"This can't be." Mokuba said. "My brother never loses."

"You only play for power, Kaiba," Yugi said, "and that is why you lost, but if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do."

"But-but how? How could I have lost to him?!"

"Kaiba," Yugi answered, "if you truly want to know" - a glowing eye appeared on Yugi's forehead as well as the spirit's. _He can use magic so shamelessly?_ \- "open your mind!" Kaiba fell to his knees. "Maybe now you will begin to see."

He turned his from Kaiba onto the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet. Both stared at each other for a while, then the eye on the armlet opened slightly to allow a purple-gold liquid to slide out and down the spirit's finger onto the floor.

Once it fell on the floor, everything changed. Both were standing in a room identical to the one they had been in, except everything was gold and purple, and orbs floated in the air. Many magical circles were inscribed on the floor. The background was the same, with Kaiba, Mokuba, and Joey, though they wouldn't be able to hear them. It was like they were in their own little world.

"I must say I'm impressed," the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet began, smirking. "I've never met someone who was able to summon Exodia." She extended her hand. "Congratulations, Yugi. However, I don't think I can call you that."

The impostor took her hand in his own and shook it. "Neither do I, nor do I think I can call you Tera. She's not the type to smirk."

"Maybe not often, but I'm glad you noticed." She paused for a second. "You're a spirit like me and you seem to know your way around magic, granted you're a sapien. That makes you dangerous." She began to frown.

"Dangerous? I don't have the intention of harming you."

"You seem sincere" - Yugi smiled - " but notice I said _seem_." Yugi frowned at that. "I don't know if I should have as a foe or an ally. Either way, you could get my host killed."

"I really don't wish to harm you."

"A good survivalist listens to her mind, not her heart." The Spirit of the Millennium Armlet stepped away from her fellow spirit and turned to leave. "But that doesn't mean I'm not drawn to you." She turned towards Yugi again.

"Miss, I know what you mean." He walked towards the other spirit, taking her hand. "I know you from somewhere, and I know that we were close."

The Spirit of the Millennium Armlet blinked before smiling softly. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

 _The night of the concert - Domino Concert Hall..._

Inside the dressing room, Delilah and Tera were both in robes covering their outfits. They were making sure their hair and makeup were right. Delilah's hair was blond with streaks of white and her eyes were golden brown. Tera's hair was midnight blue and her eyes were also golden brown. Both girls had pink lipstick and blue and white eye shadow on.

"How long is gonna take Ena to get the device?" Delilah asked. Tera shrugged in response, and as if on cue, Ena, also in her robe, entered the dressing room. In her hand, she held a pair of earrings.

"Okay, sis, here you go." As she put the earrings on Tera, she explained their purpose. "They'll jam any magical signature you'll release during the concert, so you can make our clones without being traced. They're for one-time use though, since they haven't reached perfection yet."

"Thanks, Ena," Tera said. The girls then proceeded to continue getting ready. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Delilah said.

It opened to reveal Delilah's friends. Tera internally grimaced. It took so much time to get rid of the marker ink on her hand. "Hey, guys," her twin said, closing the door. "Glad you could make it."

"We wouldn't miss a Winged D-E-T concert for the world, pres," Tea replied. That rewarded Delilah with a glare from both Ena and Tera. She gave them a cheeky grin. "Sorry, guys. But you have to call me Tora. Eriza and Demetoria don't think it was a good idea." Eriza (Tera) now realizing that she had been put on the spot jumped a little, knocking her deck off the counter. The cards scattered all over the floor, which resulted in one big cleanup.

It was fine though. Delilah's friends were nice enough to help her, and Yugi even autographed her deck holder. Though she didn't want to admit it, Tera felt a bit giddy getting an autograph from someone who summoned Exodia.

On stage, Eriza as the center - out of her robe and showing off her pretty outfit (A/N: use your imagination) - felt Tora's friends, along with copies of Tera and Ena watching her. A copy of Delilah - convinced to be a solidified hologram - was also there so no one else would know the identities of the their idol group. Only one other person outside the family knew, and that was Ena's friend Kano.

 _Honestly, why bother keeping it a secret if you're gonna tell your friends..._

"Mermaid Festa Vol. 1" [ELI UMI MAKI Mix]

~watch?v=7P75THcMUZE on YouTube~

(A/N: Ena/Demetoria's part is underlined. Tera/Eriza's part is _italicized._ Delilah/Tora's part is **bolded**.)

 _ **No, tomenaide anata kara atsukunare**_

 _ **No, don't stop, I'm getting hot from**_ _ **you**_

...

「Mada yume o miteru no adokenai yume」

Mimi ni sasayaitara

 **Me wo tojite tameiki anata no sei yo**

 **Umi ni tokeru Muunraito abite**

...

"I'm still dreaming an innocent dream"

When I whisper that into your ear

 **I close my eyes and sigh, It's your fault**

 **I dissolve into the sea bathing in the moonlight**

...

 _Tobikomu mae no itoshisa wa_

 _Tsutae tari shinai... hi-mi-tsu_

Hanaseba awa to naru you na watashi wa ningyo na no

...

 _Before diving into love_

 _I won't say anything…It's-A-Se-cret_

If I speak I'll turn into foam, I'm a mermaid

...

 _ **Nami ga tsurete kita**_

 _ **Natsu no koi wa nidoto konai setsunai Fesuta**_

 _ **Nami to odorukara**_

 _ **Hageshiku narashite yo oto no mahou kotoshi no Fesuta**_

...

 _ **The waves brought me here**_

 _ **Summer love is a painful festa which won't come twice**_

 _ **I dance with the waves so**_

 _ **Let the magic of sound ring out loudly for this year's festa**_

...

 **Douyou shiteru no?** _kinchou shiteru no?_

Nandaka wakaru furi muitara wakaru

 _ **Anata kara atsukunare**_

...

 **Are you alarmed?** _Are you nervous?_

I kind of know, I'll know when I turn around

 _ **I'm getting hot from you**_

...

 _「Naze kocchi ni konai no ishiki shiteru no_

 _Sukoshi ijimete miru_

 **Kurushige na iiwake ga anata rashikute**

 **Sarani kokoro Tenshon agaru**

...

 _"Why aren't you coming here? Are you aware?"_

 _I'll try teasing you a bit_

 **Those painful excuses are so like you**

 **The tension fills my heart with even more excitement**

...

Hadashi de kaita suna no kigou

Sakasama ni sureba I love you

 _Kidzuita toki wa dousuru no watashi o mite iru no_

...

Symbols are written in the sand with bare feet

If you flip it around it reads I love you

 _What will you do when you notice? Will you be looking at me?_

...

 _ **Tsugi wa dakishimete**_

 _ **Karuku nigete ima ga koi no hajimari dakara**_

 _ **Tsugi ni dakishimete hoshii no**_

 _ **Yasashii no ne shiritai no wa gouin na shigusa**_

...

 _ **Next embrace me tightly**_

 _ **I'll get away nimbly, Because now is the beginning of love**_

 _ **I want to be held tightly after that**_

 _ **You're so gentle, What I want to know is you acting aggressively**_

...

Douyou shiteru yo? **kinchou shiteru yo?**

 _Nando mo suneru yoriso tte mo suneru_

 _Watashi ni wa **amaete yo**_

...

Are you alarmed? **Are you nervous?**

 _I'll pout over and over, I'll pout even if we cuddle up_

Spoil me

...

 _ **Nami ga tsurete kita**_

 _ **Natsu no koi wa nidoto konai setsunai Fesuta**_

 _Nami to odorukara_

 _Hageshiku narashite yo oto no mahou kotoshi no Fesuta_

...

 _ **The waves brought me here**_

 _ **Summer love is a painful festa which won't come twice**_

 _I dance with the waves so_

 _Let the magic of sound ring out loudly for this year's festa_

...

Douyou shiteru no? **kinchou shiteru no?**

 _Nandaka wakaru furi muitara wakaru_

 _ **Narashite yo natsu no koi narashite yo**_

...

Are you alarmed? **Are you nervous?**

 _I kind of know, I'll know when I turn around_

 _ **Let it ring out, Let the summer love ring out**_

...

 _ **No, tomenaide anata kara atsukunare**_

 _ **No, don't stop, I'm getting hot from you**_

The next song was sung by the sub-unit Grand Souer, which featured Delilah and Ena. After that, Tera joined them on stage...

"Soldier Game"

Three, two, one, zero! koko de toujou

Mitenasai watashi no honki

Suriru to biishiki de katsu no yo kanarazu

...

Three, two, one, zero! Here's my intro

Please look at me; I'm completely serious

My thrilling beauty will win, without fail

...

 _Yasashige na kotoba sasayaku_

 _Nise no kawaisa janakute_

 **Tsumetaku tsuyoku mamoranakya**

 **Taisetsuna monotachi _yowaki monotachi_**

...

 _I whisper gentle words_

 _I'm not just pretending to be cute_

 **I have to coldly, strongly protect**

 **those precious to me, _and those weak_**

...

 _ **Watashi wa dare desho? shiritaku natta deshou?**_

 _Naraba koi kamo_

 _ **Watashi no naka ni wa himitsu ga aru to shite**_

Sore o **kimi wa** _**dou suru no**_

 _ **It's soldier game**_

 _ **Mata aeta toki kikou ka na**_

...

 _ **Who am I, yes? You've grown curious, yes?**_

 _Then it might just be love_

 _ **Knowing secrets lie hidden in my heart,**_

What will you do about that?

 _ **It's soldier game**_

 _ **Will you ask about them next time we meet?**_

...

 **Three, two, one, zero! tsugi no sakusen**

 **Mitenasai watashi wa honki**

 **Shigunaru uketomete mirai o itadaku**

...

 **Three, two, one, zero! Onto the next battle strategy**

 **Please look at me; I'm completely serious**

 **Receive my signal and the future will be yours**

...

Hohoemi yori mo amai no wa

Uso ga maneita namida yo

 _Hakanasa morosa kaku shiteru_

 _Taisetsu na mono na no **yowaki mono na no**_

...

Sweeter than a smile

Are tears brought about from a lie

 _Hiding transience and fragileness,_

 _You're someone precious, **someone weak**_

...

 _ **Watashi to kuru desho? furetaku natta deshou?**_

 **Sude ni koi da yo**

 _ **Watashi to itsuka wa tatakaubeki aite**_

 _Sore wa_ kimi no _**risei kamo**_

 _ **I'm soldier heart**_

 _ **Makenai kara ne It's soldier game**_

...

 _ **You'll come with me, yes? You've grown curious about my touch, yes?**_

 **Then it's already love**

 _ **Since you're someone I must meet in battle someday,**_

That might just be your reason

 _ **I'm soldier heart**_

 _ **I won't lose, okay? It's soldier game**_

...

 _ **(Come on!)**_

...

 _ **Ima ga shoubu yo!**_

 **Watashi wa dare desho? shiritaku natta deshou?**

Naraba koi kamo

 _Watashi no naka ni wa himitsu ga aru to shite_

Sore o kimi wa?

...

 _ **It's a duel now!**_

 **Who am I, yes? You've grown curious, yes?**

Then it might just be love

 _Knowing secrets lie hidden in my heart,_

what will you do about that?

...

 _ **Watashi to kuru desho? furetaku natta deshou?**_

 _ **Sude ni koi da yo**_

 _ **Watashi to itsuka wa tatakaubeki aite**_

 _ **Sore wa kimi no risei kamo**_

 _ **It's soldier game**_

 _ **Mata aeta no ni I'm soldier heart**_

...

 _ **You'll come with me, yes? You've grown curious about my touch, yes?**_

 _ **Then it's already love**_

 _ **Since you're someone I must meet in battle someday,**_

 _ **That might just be your reason**_

 _ **It's soldier game**_

 _ **Though we've met again, I'm soldier heart**_

The next sub-unit Guilty Reign, composed of Ena and Tera, performed a piece before the entire group performed again...

"Otohime Haato de Rabu Kyuuden"

 _ **Dakishimete mou hanasanai**_

 _ **Otohime haato de Kyatchi!**_

...

 _ **Holding you tight, I'll never let go again**_

 _ **You're caught in the youngest princess' heart!**_

...

 _Aoi umi wa kaku shiteru no ai o matsu tobira o_

 _Uwasa wa shitteru deshou?_

 _Eien no rakuen_

...

 _The blue sea hides a door waiting for love,_

 _You know of such a rumor, right?_

 _An eternal paradise_

...

Anata ga ima erabareta no

Nigedashitari shinaide

Amazuppai yume o mimashou futari de

...

You've made your choice now

Don't run away

Let us both watch this sweet-sour dream together

...

 **Hito no yo wa** _(sugu ni sugu ni)_ **kawarukedo**

 **Watashi no negai wa** _(kawaranai wa)_

 **Uzushio yori hageshiku anata yusaburitai no**

...

 **This world of people will** _(soon, soon)_ **change but**

 **My wish will** _(never change)_

 **I want to shake you more violently than the whirling tides**

...

 _ **Mukashi no mukashi no monogatari densetsu no kyuuden de**_

 _ **Koi shita koi shita tonogata**_

 _ **Aa kaeranai (sadame na no yo)**_

 _ **Koyoi no koyoi no monogatari densetsu ga yomigaeru**_

 _ **Koi suru koi suru hazuda wa**_

 _ **Sou yo anata ga kite kureta**_

 _ **Nanimokamo wasurete yurayura odorimashou**_

...

 _ **It's an ancient fairy tale, that within a legendary palace**_

 _ **A gentleman who fell in love**_

 _ **Could never return (it was told)**_

 _ **Tonight's story, will revive that legend**_

 _ **I'm certain you've fallen in love**_

 _ **That's right, you've come just for me**_

 _ **Forget everything else, let us sway and dance**_

...

Akai sango kazarimashou ai no honoo no youna

Jerashii no iro kashira

Eien no rougoku

...

Let's decorate using this red coral, like the flame of love

Maybe it's the color of jealousy

An eternal prison

...

 **Anata ga ima erabareta no**

 **Nigedashitari shinaide**

 **Owaranai yume o mimashou futari de**

...

 **You've made your choice now**

 **Don't run away**

 **Let us both watch this unending dream together**

...

 _Rabu deshou?_ Rabu desu! **Namima de yumemite moete**

 _It's love, right?_ It's love! **Dreaming and burning in the waves**

...

 _Hito no yo wa_ **(sugu ni sugu ni)** _kawarukedo_

 _Watashi no negai wa_ **(kawaranai wa)**

 _Uzushio yori hageshiku anata yusaburi musuba retai no_

...

 _This world of people will_ **(soon, soon)** _change but_

 _My wish will_ **(never change)**

 _I want to shake you and tie you down more violently than the whirling tides_

...

 _ **Mukashi no mukashi no monogatari densetsu no kyuuden de**_

 _ **Koi shita koi shita tonogata**_

 _ **Aa kaeranai (sadame na no yo)**_

 _ **Koyoi no koyoi no monogatari densetsu ga yomigaeru**_

 _ **Koi suru koi suru hazuda wa**_

 _ **Sou yo anata ga kite kureta**_

 _ **Nanimokamo wasurete yurayura odorimashou**_

 _ **Nanimokamo wasurete...!**_

...

 ** _It's an ancient fairy tale, that within a legendary palace_**

 ** _A gentleman who fell in love_**

 ** _Could never return (it was told)_**

 ** _Tonight's story, will revive that legend_**

 ** _I'm certain you've fallen in love_**

 ** _That's right, you've come just for me_**

 ** _Forget everything else, let us sway and dance_**

 ** _Forget everything else...!_**

...

 _ **Dakishimete mou hanasanai**_

 _ **Otohime haato de Kyatchi!**_

 _ **Dakishimete anata o mou mou hanasanai**_

 _ **Otohime haato de Kyatchi!**_

...

 _ **Holding you tight, I'll never let go again**_

 _ **You're caught in the youngest princess' heart!**_

 _ **Holding you tight, I'll never, never let you go again**_

 _ **You're caught in the youngest princess' heart!**_

Winged D-E-T's final sub-unit Angel of Babylon performed, featuring Tera and Delilah. The entire concert was tiring work, but none of the girls could really complain. It was fun being part of an idol group - getting the chance to perform for others, winning the hearts of people all around the world. On stage, Tera wasn't afraid of having her powers discovered. Eriza was a part of Tera that she could show and people would love... But sometimes, she wondered what would happen if she were discovered. _Now's not the time to think about that. It's time to shine._

"LONELIEST BABY"

 _Hitomi ni aoi honoo_ tsuyo garu kimi LONELIEST BABY

 **So, comin' comin' back!**

 **Suneta mama ja** _**umaku ikanai yo?**_

 _ **Kocchimuite... Onegai!**_

...

 _In your eyes burns a blue flame;_ Putting on a strong front, you the LONELIEST BABY

 **So, comin' comin' back!**

Just staying sulky there doesn't work, you know?

 _ **Look over here... Please!**_

...

Nandaka tsurai one day _kodoku ni yureru one day_

 _Oh yeah, oh yeah! Oshiete my boy_

 **Matteru no yozora ni mukete**

 _ **Call me, call me! Tobashite aizu wa "L.O.V.E"**_

...

Somehow painful one day, _shaking with loneliness one day_

 _Oh yeah, oh yeah! Teach me my boy_

 **Aiming for the waiting night sky**

 **Call me, call me! The signal you're skipping is "L.O.V.E"**

...

 _Koishiteru kimochi de dakishimetaikara_

 **Koko de** watashi wa _**kimi dake o mitsume teru**_

...

 _Because I want to hug you with these feelings of love_

I'm gazing at only you right here

...

 _ **Zutto daisuki daisuki**_ _(tsutaetai)_ _**daisuki daisuki**_

 _ **Itsu demo Hi! (Hi!) Hi! (Hi!) Makenaide**_

 _ **Inotterunda Ah...! (Let's fight!)**_

 _ **Daisuki daisuki**_ (Love you love you) _ **daisuki daisuki**_

 _ **Wasurenaide tsukareta tokiniwa**_ **(Call me!)** _ **honno sukoshi watashi no koto**_

 _ **Omoi dashite Baby!**_

...

 _ **Always I love you I love you**_ _(I want to tell you)_ _ **I love you I love you**_

 _ **No matter when Hi!(Hi!) Hi!(Hi!)Without losing**_

 _ **I'm praying Ah...!(Let's fight!)**_

 _ **I love you I love you**_ (Love you love you) _ **I love you I love you**_

 _ **Don't forget during the times when you're tired, just a little bit**_

 _ **Recall and think about me Baby!**_

...

Honki o yadosu chikai _darenimo tsugenai no ne_

 **So, goin' goin' now!**

 **Mukuchi sugite _gokai sa re chau yo?_**

 _ **Nanka itte... Onegai!**_

...

The oath your seriousness conceived, _don't tell it to anyone_

 **So, goin' goin' now!**

If you're too quiet there'll be misunderstandings, you know?

 _ **Say something... Please!**_

...

 _Ame ni nakeru one day_ **setsunaku nureru one day**

 _ **Oh yeah, oh yeah! Aitai my boy**_

Matteruyo kokoro de yonde

 _ **Call me, call me! Ima sugu aizu wa "L.O.V.E"**_

...

 _Crying in the rain one day,_ **getting drenched and sad one day**

 _ **Oh yeah, oh yeah! I want to meet you my boy**_

I've been waiting, my heart is calling out

 _ **Call me, call me! The signal right now is "L.O.V.E"**_

...

 **Koi shitara yurushite shimau no subete o**

Hontou... _Watashi wa **kimi dake no monodakara**_

...

 **Once you're in love, everything can be forgiven**

Really... _Because I am **someone that belongs only to you**_

...

 _ **Zutto Airabu Airabu**_ (kawaranai) _**Airabu Airabuyuu**_

 _ **Tokidoki Hi! (Hi!) Hi! (Hi!) yowai no mo**_

 _ **Itoshii no Ah...! (I know!)**_

 _ **Airabu Airabu**_ _(Love you love you)_ _ **Airabu Airabuyuu**_

 _ **Itoshiikara yasumitai tokiniwa**_ **(Call me!)** _ **Sotto kimi o mamoritai no**_

 _ **I wanna hold you, Baby!**_

...

 _ **Always I love you I love you**_ (Unchanging) _**I love you I love you**_

 _ **Sometimes Hi!(Hi!) Hi!(Hi!)Also weak**_

 _ **What's dear to me Ah...!(I know!)**_

 _ **I love you I love you**_ _(Love you love you)_ _ **I love you I love you**_

 _ **Because you're dear to me, when you want to take a break, I want to protect you gently**_

 _ **I wanna hold you, Baby!**_

...

 _Hi!_ **(Hi!)** _Hi!_ **(Hi!)** _Doushite nandarou?_

 **Tsuyokina toko mo yowakina toko mo**

 **Hi!** _(Hi!)_ **Hi!** _(Hi!)_ **Daisukina nda yo!**

 _Zenbu sukida kodokuna my boy_

 _Kimi no chikai kimi no kokoro kimi wa kimi wa Lonely boy_

Atsui kimi ga atsuku kimi ga mezasu basho doko darou?

...

 _Hi!_ **(Hi!) **_Hi!_ **(Hi!)** _Why, I wonder?_

 **Even when you're strong and even when you're weak**

 **Hi!** _(Hi!) _**Hi!** _(Hi!)_ **I love you!**

 _I love all of it, the lonely my boy_

 _Your oath, your heart; you are you are, lonely boy_

The passionate you, where is it you're aiming for?

...

 **Zutto Airabu Airabu (kawaranai) Airabu Airabuyuu**

 **Tokidoki Hi!** _(Hi!) _**Hi!** _(Hi!)_ **yowai no mo**

 **Itoshii no Ah...!**

 _Zutto_ _ **daisuki daisuki (tsutaetai) daisuki daisuki**_

 _ **Itsu demo Hi! (Hi!) Hi! (Hi!) Makenaide**_

 _ **Inotteru nda Ah...! (Let's fight!)**_

 _ **Daisuki daisuki (Love you love you) daisuki daisuki**_

 _ **Wasurenaide tsukareta tokiniwa (Call me!) honno sukoshi watashi no koto Omoi dashite Baby!**_

...

 **Always I love you I love you (Unchanging) I love you I love you**

 **Sometimes Hi!** _(Hi!)_ **Hi!** _(Hi!)_ **Also weak**

 **What's dear to me Ah...!(I know!)**

 _Always_ **_I love you I love you (I want to tell you) I love you I love you_**

 _ **No matter when Hi!(Hi!) Hi!(Hi!)Without losing**_

 _ **I'm praying Ah...!(Let's fight!)**_

 _ **I love you I love you (Love you love you) I love you I love you**_

 _ **Don't forget during the times when you're tired, just a little bit**_

 _ **Recall and think about me Baby!**_

...

 _ **Oh baby I love you, oh baby I love you!**_

 _ **Kimi wa kimi wa Lonely boy**_

 _ **Oh baby I love you, oh baby I love you!**_

 _ **Oh baby I love you!**_

...

 _ **Oh baby I love you, oh baby I love you!**_

 _ **You are you are, Lonely boy**_

 _ **Oh baby I love you, oh baby I love you!**_

 _ **Oh baby I love you!**_

Once the song ended, the crowd immediately roared, waving glow sticks in almost every direction. Tera, Delilah, Ena were panting heavily, relieved that it was over.

A few moments later, Tera noticed that her sister was discreetly looking back at her friends. Slightly looking back as well, she met Yugi's gaze. She blushed slightly and then did something she would have never done had she not been Eriza at the moment. She stuck her tongue out playfully, which made Yugi blush in response.

It was in that moment too that she immediately regretted doing it. _Crap._

* * *

Yay, I finished Chapter Two, even though I got a bit lazy writing it. Like the first chapter, I based it off the second series anime of Yu-Gi-Oh. But I also got some inspiration from Bonded-Duelist Kingdom. What do you think of the Matsumura family and the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet so far?

TheElatedDeity


	3. Crisis

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any components from other anime, manga, or other literary work. I also do not own any songs. I only own the Matsumura family and future OC's. Please enjoy the story.

* * *

 _Long ago,_ _in a time when Earth did not exist - an era in which magic reigned supreme - the first humans lived on a planet called Foreheim. These humans, the Forsir, Homo pythonicus, were magical beings that not only manipulated the forces of magic and its energy but also manipulated science as well. They were divided into twelve tribes and lived in twelve different regions, based on their dominant magical abilities._

 _Now, only one seer remains - the new queen, Salem, known to her peers by her birth name. She is trapped in a world that sees her both as a monster and a way to become rich._ _Deep inside her soul is the need to achieve peace, but also the want to get even. Both desires clash within her spirit, and neither are going to back down._

* * *

Following Yugi's duel against Kaiba and the concert, the school day went by normally. Joey was dueling Tea. "Alright, here ya go, tough guy. My Rock Ogre's gonna rock your block off," Joey said.

In response, Tea flipped her face-down monster up in defense mode - Happy Lover. "Guess I don't stand a chance," she said, "unless maybe" - she placed another card down - "I use the Breath of Light card."

"Huh? Can she do that?"

"Yes," Tera replied. "The Breath of Life wears down rock monsters." She held up her card catalog as proof, showing Joey the information on The Breath of Life.

"That brings your life points down to zero, Joey," Tea said. "Once again, you lose and I rock."

"Joey, you stink at this game," Delilah said. Just then she heard a ringing in her ear coming from her intercom. She tapped on a button in order to pick up the call. "Hello... oh." She turned to her sister, an annoyed expression on her face. "It's for you. You might want to step out though."

Tera followed her sister's advice. Once outside the classroom, the person on the other line spoke to her. "Tera, how is my favorite pupil doing?"

"Um, I'm your only pupil. Listen, teacher, with all due respect, can I call you back once the day's over?"

"Then I'll make this short," the person replied. "Have you thought about my invitation?"

It took a while for Tera to respond. She leaned against the wall. "Yes, I have. My answer is the same. I have no interest in your tournament. I'm worried about other things. Sorry, teacher."

"I'm disappointed in you. There's a chance that you'd win."

"Win what? Some big cash prize?" Tera spoke softly. "My family and I already have all the money we could wish for." She desperately wanted to hang up. Fortunately for her, her sister called for her.

"Ineedtogogoodbye," she said before hanging up. _This isn't going to be the end of it_ , she thought, drooping her head.

 _Weeks later..._

Tera had decided to stay home that evening, while her sister went to Yugi's house. It's not she didn't want to go. (Okay, maybe a little bit.) The reason she didn't go was because she promised her youngest siblings that she would watch the finals of the Regional Duel Monsters Championship with them. So there they sat on a brown sofa in a large yet cozy living room.

"My money's on Rex Raptor," Ringo, her younger brother, said. "Me too," said Rini, his twin sister.

"Okay," Tera said. She placed a handful of money on the table in front of them. "I'm betting on Weevil Underwood."

The younger twins were confident that Rex Raptor was going to win, but that confidence had completely faded by the end of the duel.

"I didn't expect that," Rini stated. "I guess in duels brain beats brawn almost all the time."

Ringo smirked. "Well, enough about Duel Monsters" - Tera nearly choked on air hearing those words - "Sis, time for you know what."

He stood up and was about to start running when Rini stood in his path while Tera held him in place. "No running!" Both of them shouted at him.

He immediately complied. Tera then led her siblings to her study - a room no could enter without her being present. There was a good reason for that.

Inside were many shelves, along with tapestries and golden statues. Looking at the titles of most of the books, one could tell that they were for magic. The tapestries, twelve in total, were for the twelve original foreseer tribes, and the statues were of the most famous foreseers in history, including the wife of the Nameless Pharaoh. There were tables and chairs, and in the back of the room was a chest. In it lay the deities' gifts to the foreseers - the ability to manipulate magic and science, and the covenant with His angels, though Tera only knew the former to be true.

She reminded her siblings that they couldn't touch anything while she worked. After she was convinced so, she sat down at her work desk and pulled out a book. "Show me the locations of the Millennium Items."

The book opened to reveal a map of the world. There were dots on it, marking the locations of the some of the Millennium Items - the Millennium Puzzle, Armlet, and Ring. It was disappointing to say the least. It was also a bit embarrassing now that her juniors were watching.

"Maybe you should try using magic too," Ringo suggested. "I would," Tera replied. "But my magical signature would be picked up and traced back here."

"So will your plan really work?" Rini asked. "Once you get all the Millennium Items and find the Ark of the Covenant, will you really be able to bring back our families?"

Tera looked at her sister. "That's the plan." Then she began explaining it in further detail. "Tampering with life and death - trying to resurrect the dead - is something very taboo in the world of magic. Not only does it require a plethora of skill and mana, but it's also an insult to God. Those who try end up being punished" - she began to remember the time she tried without the assistance of a divinity - "but the Ark of the Covenant can solve that problem."

"How?" Ringo asked.

"Well," Tera answered, "it contains the Commandments that God Himself created. Alongside them lies powerful magic. Using the magic of the Millennium Items added to my own, I can find the Ark and use its magic to bypass the laws of life and death. With it I can bring back the entire foreseer race including your mother."

"That's so cool!" the younger twins exclaimed. They had giddy expressions, and just looking at them made Tera feel giddy too. "I know right!"

However, instead of continuing with her work, Tera closed the book. She ushered Rini and Ringo out of the study and closed the door, making sure that it locked, despite her siblings' protests.

"We all have school the next day," she reasoned, "and you've pushed yourself enough today, Ringo. You need to worry more about your health."

Ringo just waved his hand in response. "Don't worry. I'm a-o-" He didn't even get to finish his sentence when he collapsed.

"Ringo!"

 _20 minutes later - Ringo's room..._

Ringo was awake but not in very good condition. Ena and Rini sat in chairs next to his bed while Tera, Veronica, and Mona stood. Standing outside the room were many of the household staff.

"Veronica, he can't keep going like this," Mona said. "He needs a heart transplant as soon as possible."

"Wasn't that supposed to happen last week?" Ena asked. "Sis, what happened?"

The elder sister didn't look her - she couldn't. Instead, she said, "Auntie, can you stay here with Rini?"

After Mona agreed, Veronica beckoned for Tera and Ena to follow her to the dining room. There she told them of her dilemma. A little while before the death of their parents, she said, their grandfather had sold 49% of Mura-Tech to KaibaCorp's Big Five and 2% to Industrial Illusions but then hid any evidence of it, using their mother's power.

Shortly after the concert, Veronica was informed by the Big Five of the news and what they intended to do with their share of the company. They planned on giving it to Maximillion Pegasus and having him shut down the company. The conglomerate provided jobs and housing for most of its employees. In fact, a good portion of the residential areas in Domino City was owned by the company. Some of the children of employees also went to private schools paid for by the company.

"Shutting down our company?" Ena spoke. "We wouldn't have enough funds in all our savings combined to keep our house, much less help our employees."

"Not only that," Tera added, "but helping Ringo costs a lot of money. Isn't there any way to prevent this?"

Veronica told them that both the Big Five and Pegasus offered to return to the rest of the company to her if Tera would join Duelist Kingdom and win. Ena suggested hacking the KaibaCorp mainframe instead and destroying the company, but Veronica shut down the idea, stating that it would only make things worse.

"Tera, what are you going to do?" she asked. "I honestly don't think that's all it's going to take."

"I have no choice," Tera replied. "I can't sit back and watch those awful people destroy what you've worked so hard to achieve."

She walked to the door and before leaving said, "Besides, I may not trust my teacher that much, but at least I know that he wouldn't do anything too cruel."

Little did she know that Pegasus had stolen the soul of Mr. Muto. In her room, she placed a box from Industrial Illusions on her bed and opened it, taking out a gauntlet with ten slots and two star chips. She didn't bother taking out anything else.

"Teacher, do you understand that you're messing with the wrong company?" She gripped her Millennium Armlet tightly, looking out through the windows.

The next day, neither Tera nor Delilah went to school. Tera needed to let out her pent up frustration, so Delilah suggested doing kendo the entire day. By the time they finished, the sky was orange and both girls were exhausted.

"Hey, Yin," Delilah said, "I'll be going with you - to be your support."

"Thanks," Tera replied. "Glad to know I can always count on you."


	4. Onward to Duelist Kingdom

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any components from other anime, manga, or other literary work. I also do not own any songs. I only own the Matsumura family and future OC's. Please enjoy the story.

* * *

 _Long ago,_ _in a time when Earth did not exist - an era in which magic reigned supreme - the first humans lived on a planet called Foreheim. These humans, the Forsir, Homo pythonicus, were magical beings that not only manipulated the forces of magic and its energy but also manipulated science as well. They were divided into twelve tribes and lived in twelve different regions, based on their dominant magical abilities._

 _Now, only one seer remains - the new queen, Salem, known to her peers by her birth name. She is trapped in a world that sees her both as a monster and a way to become rich. Little do the sapiens know: she's keeping the world's atmosphere from destroying the world._

* * *

Tonight was the night Tera and Delilah would board the ship to Duelist Kingdom. The girls arrived at Domino Pier with their aunt in a fancy car. They could see the long line of duelists. Tera was wearing a deep blue, short-sleeved sailor dress with long white socks and dress shoes (A/N: Just think of Miku Izayoi from Date A Live). Strapped to her left thigh was her deck holder, and her hair was in a semi-ponytail like it usually was. And like always, her right arm was adorned with the Millennium Armlet.

As for Delilah, also with her hair in a semi-ponytail, she wore a denim skirt and dark purple leggings. For her top, she wore an orange-yellow shirt. Over that was a black jacket with white sleeves and a white hood. On her feet, she wore white shoes. As the girls were getting ready to step out of the car, Mona said something to them. "Keep an eye on each other, okay?"

Both girls nodded. Tera then grabbed her small briefcase and her backpack, stepping out of the car. Delilah had her own backpack as well.

"Good luck," Mona said.

"With me by her side, nothing can go wrong," Delilah replied. After saying goodbye to their aunt, the twins walked towards the line. When they were almost there, Tera tripped and fell. "I spoke too soon," Delilah said. Before Delilah could help her sister, a hand reached out to her, offering to help her up.

She hesitated a bit before finally grabbing the hand with her own. "T-thank you," she said. The boy who helped her up was about to say "You're welcome" until he looked at Tera's face, then Delilah's. He was speechless. At that point, neither sister tried to continue the conversation. Instead, Delilah asked the person next to him if they could join the line from their current spot. That person could barely mutter "yes," letting the twins in line.

In front of them, Tera and Delilah could hear their whispered conversation. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"You mean the Matsumura twins, who model for their family's company? Yeah."

The two boys went on talk about how Tera had just started modeling and how they couldn't believe that they were in the tournament. Tera looked at Delilah and said, "Maybe we should have covered our faces."

"Definitely," her sister replied.

"I should've never started modeling. It attracts too many people for my taste."

Delilah giggled, wondering what her twin would've said if her hair was blue and her eyes were golden brown.

Once on board the ship, they heard a ruckus coming from below. "Hey, you! Get out here! Only official contestants are allowed on board."

"How do you know I'm not official?" an all-too familiar voice asked. "You've gotta be kidding me," Delilah said.

"This isn't going to end well," Tera said.

"Because the official duelists aren't trying to sneak on board through the lower hatches," one of the security guards said while another helped him drag Joey away.

Just then, Yugi stepped in while Joey continued to struggle. He gave Joey one of his star chips, since he needed one in order to board. The guards looked unsure of what to do.

"I say you let him on," Delilah said loudly. The security guards, Yugi, and Joey looked in their direction. "Right, Yin?" Tera nodded in agreement.

"Pres, class rep? What are you two doing here?" Yugi asked.

"Obviously we're here to participate in the tournament. Now come on. Time waits for no one."

...

"I'm glad they let you on board, Joey," Yugi told him. Tera was still surprised that they actually let him on.

"Only because you sacrificed one of your star chips for me," Joey replied.

"Try to be careful, you two," Delilah told them. "If any of the players find out you only have one star chip each, they'll try to take advantage of you. You're already in trouble because Tera and I know."

 _So both only have start chip. Should I?_ Tera thought. _No. I'll give them a chance to gain more. Then I'll challenge them._

She didn't realize that she was making a rather serious face until she emerged from her thoughts. "Oh. Uh..."

"Well, what do we have here?" a female voice said from behind them. All four of them turned around to find a blonde woman standing there. She wore purple all over except for a white tube top that showed her her belly button. Joey blushed at the sight of her. Delilah and Tera, not wanting to see him crash and burn, decided to take their leave and find their room. They managed to obtain even though they weren't finalists from the last championship (since neither even participated).

For a while, they spent some time in the room, with Tera building, changing, and improving her deck, using all the cards she brought from home. She also looked through her card catalog, calculating strategies and creating attacks and counterattacks for each card.

Delilah asked, "Yin, don't you want to get some insight on the other participants?"

Tera shook her head. "I can do that on the island." She sensed a magical presence on the boat but shrugged it off. _It's probably the Millennium Puzzle or Ring?_

She felt another magical presence, but this time it was right behind her. Her left eye twitched slightly. _"What do you want, Amaterasu?"_

 _"Please don't be so cold to me."_ The voice belonged to a girl with short black hair and ghostly skin. She wore a white dress with short sleeves. _"I just wanted to tell you that one of your sister's friends threw himself overboard."_

Tera gasped. "What?!"

 _"I think his name was Joey."_

Delilah noticed that her sister was in some trance. When she reached out to snap her out of it, Tera grabbed her hand and pushed her towards the door.

"What th-?! Tera?!"

"No time to explain," Tera said. "Go find a ladder and help your friends." Delilah complied after making sure her sister would be okay.

After Delilah was gone, Tera plopped down on the seat. Amaterasu appeared behind her. _"You're welcome."_

 _"I never thanked you."_

 _"You didn't need to. You know I can help win this silly tournament and save your family's company."_

Tera gripped her Millennium Armlet. _"No, thank you,"_ she said. _"I don't need the help of a parasitical wither spirit."_

 _"Suit yourself,"_ Amaterasu said. _"I got a chance to look at the sky today. The atmosphere has so many colors."_ Before disappearing she said, _"It'd be a shame for this world if it could no longer be held back a force of equal power. You might want to hurry and resurrect your fallen foreseers, or at least bring one or two of your own into this world. I'd say that Yugi boy is a nice person, but then I'd go against my own purpose."_

She disappeared, leaving a frustrated and blushing Tera. "Why did she have to say that and ruin my focus?!" If there was one thing Amaterasu knew how to do besides corrupting people, it was annoying the hell out of her. But she had to admit, she ended up helping her sister.

Tera then slapped both of her cheeks with her hands. She needed to continue her preparations. She was determined to be the victor in Pegasus's tournament. For her family. For the company. For her ultimate goal.


	5. The First Duel - Yugi vs Weevil

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any components from other anime, manga, or other literary work. I also do not own any songs. I only own the Matsumura family and future OC's. Please enjoy the story.

* * *

 _Long ago,_ _in a time when Earth did not exist - an era in which magic reigned supreme - the first humans lived on a planet called Foreheim. These humans, the Forsir, Homo pythonicus, were magical beings that not only manipulated the forces of magic and its energy but also manipulated science as well. They were divided into twelve tribes and lived in twelve different regions, based on their dominant magical abilities._

 _Now, only one seer remains - the new queen, Salem, known to her peers by her birth name. She is trapped in a world that sees her both as a monster and a way to become rich._

* * *

"Welcome, all duelists," one of the suits on the island said. "Please, follow the stairs to meet your host."

"It's now or never, Tera," Delilah said. "Right," Tera replied. "Just watch me - I'm going to win this."

At the top of the stairs, there was a castle where a bunch of duelists were waiting. Some immediately recognized duelists like Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor. Others noticed the Matsumura twins, but not because of their dueling skills. In fact, Tera had never actually shown her face or given her name when she participated in competitions like this one. Slightly embarrassed, she tried hiding her face from the gawkers.

"Attention, please gather around. Your benevolent host is anxious to greet you all." On the balcony of the castle were more security guards. Pegasus walked onto the balcony, and a feeling a dread washed over Tera. _I can sense a Millennium Item in there. Has he always had one and I just haven't noticed?_

She looked away from him, though at some point she felt his gaze on her. Pegasus spread his arms with the palms of his hands facing up. "Greetings, duelists!" he said. "I am Maximillion Pegasus! It is my great honor and pleasure to welcome you all to the Duelist Kingdom." He placed his hands on his hips. "You stand before me, the world's greatest duelists! But come tournament's end, only one shall be crowned 'King of Games.'"

Delilah smirked. "He means 'Queen of Games,'" she whispered. Tera smiled before whispering back, "I'm already in possession of that title though. I'm the number one female duelist in the world."

"Nobody here knows that, so you've gotta prove it by kicking their butts. Besides, the tournament is to see who's number one out of all duelists."

"Roger."

Pegasus continued. "I implore you all to assemble your dueling decks with care, with creativity, and with cunning, for this competition will test your skills like never before! To track your progress in the tournament, you've each been given a dueling glove. You've also been given two precious star chips. You must wager these star chips in each duel you compete in. To advance to the final level of competition for a chance at the three-million-dollar prize, you must win ten star chips!"

 _I see. Ten star chips and I'll get the chance to face Pegasus._ She looked around her. _But there are so many duelists, and a lot of them are bound to be really strong. I've got my work cut out for me._

"Also," Pegasus said, "new dueling rules will be in effect, but I will not tell you these rules. You'll learn them as you duel. You have one hour to prepare, and when the fireworks light the sky, you may begin!"

After Pegasus's speech, the Matsumura twins descended the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, Delilah asked her sister, "So, what's your plan?"

"I can't act rashly or else I'll have a hard time," Tera replied. "With the new rules and a large amount of competition, I think the best thing to do right now is to become an observer. I might need to change some of my calculations along the way... " Tera gradually began talking less to Delilah and more to herself about the perfect strategy, assessing the situation, tactics she learned from previous duels and the conquests of the world's greatest tacticians, even though she wasn't going to war. "...I could apply the tactics of Hannibal into my strategy but that would depend on the person I'm against. Is my deck well-built? No, even if it wasn't well-built, I should have enough skill to win." She switched her thoughts to the duel arenas on the island. "He said that they were all over the island. Then he mentioned the new rules. Could they be connected - like some field power up or something?"

"It seems you have some sort of plan then," Delilah said. She pulled out some cards from her bag. "By the way, are you going to use these cards - the ones Pegasus gave you."

Tera thought about for a moment before saying, "I am undecided. Those cards look extremely powerful and would make winning easier. But I'd rather save them for the finals if I get in. I can't let word spread about them."

"Fair point." Bright lights were seen in the sky, and the girls could hear booms. "Sounds like the tournament's finally starting," Delilah said.

Tera slapped her cheeks. "Okay, let's do this." Before moving out, she said a little prayer. _Spirit residing within me, if you truly are present and can hear me, I ask for your help._

Tera's Armlet glowed as the spirit dwelling inside emerged. "Let's get going," she said to Delilah. Pretty soon, they came across an interesting spectacle. "Whoa," Delilah said, gaining the attention of her friends.

"Pres, class rep, you're just in time," Tea said. "Guess so," Delilah replied. "Who knew the first duel of the tournament would have Yugi in it?"

The Spirit of the Armlet looked up at the duel beginning to take place. She knew that really wasn't Yugi dueling and the thought of the spikey-haired boy in his place advancing to the finals made her uneasy. A large part of her wanted to him lose.

Yugi: 2000

Weevil: 2000

"Well, Yugi," Weevil said, "let's see how you like my Killer Needle (1200/1000)."

"You'll have to get through my Mammoth Graveyard (1200/800) first. This massive monster will match your annoying insect point for point."

Both monsters attacked one another, but it was Weevil's Killer Needle that came out victorious.

"Do you know why I led you all the way to this forest area?" Weevil asked. "If you just look around, then you will see that this area is an exact replica of our surrounding environment - one part wasteland and one part forest - and who thrives in the forest? Bugs. The strongest, most powerful insects rule the forest! So as long as I play my bugs in the forest area, I get a field power bonus. I guess you just weren't listening when Pegasus said that this tournament would have exciting new surprises in store for us. Maybe if you were smart enough to steal the tournament's secret new rules like I did, you'd be getting a field power bonus instead of me!" he laughed.

"He cheated!" Joey exclaimed. "He led us out here 'cause he knew he'd have an unfair advantage."

"Looks like you hit the nail on the head about the new rules," Delilah muttered to her sister.

"You mean you two knew about this?" Joey asked. "To be honest, it was simply guesswork," Tera replied shortly after. "Why have arenas all around the island when you can have this tournament be like any other one - unless they have something to do with the new rules?"

"But I'd have never thought that someone would steal the rules," Delilah followed. "Not sure why, but I didn't expect this tournament to be full of cheaters. I thought Pegasus would at least get some background information on his contestants."

"Go ahead! Call me a cheater! You're all just angry that you didn't swipe the rules yourselves. And because you didn't, little Yugi is about to get stung."

 _Yugi_ (she decided to call him Yugi because she didn't know what else to call him other than Spirit) _doesn't seem to be worried though. In fact... is he laughing?_

"What? How can you be laughing?" Weevil asked.

"Because," Yugi said, "take a look at your ferocious Killer Needle now." The monster on the field exploded. "Oh no! My monster! What have you done with my monster?! This makes no sense. My creature was supercharged with the field power bonus, but according to this, Yugi's creature somehow became just as powerful."

"Looks like my mammoth got a field power bonus as well." Something clicked in the Spirit of the Armlet's mind. "Of course. Weevil's bugs get a field power bonus from the forest half of the field, but Yugi's mammoth got one from the wasteland. Because of the power bonus, Mammoth Graveyard was able to match Killer Needle, causing both monsters to be destroyed." The thing about the island was that it contained every type of field imaginable.

Weevil summoned Hercules Beetle, who gained the field power bonus (1950/2600). Yugi countered with Feral Imp equipped with the Horn of the Unicorn, but despite having greater attack strength, Hercules Beetle came out victorious. Both spirits learned that all monsters with the field power bonus were resistant to any type of magic attack. Yugi now had 1350 Life Points.

On Yugi's turn, he summoned a monster in defense mode. Summoning Basic Insect, Weevil equipped it with Level 3 Laser Cannon and Level 2 Power Boost. Yugi's monster was destroyed, and before ending his turn, he summoned another monster in defense mode. Both set of a card in the Spell/Trap zone on the next turn. In his next three turns, Weevil summoned Big Insect, Gokibore, and Kamakiriman (Yugi passed all of his). Yugi played another monster in defense mode, which Weevil attacked. Attacking that monster - the Dark Magician - activated his trap card, Mirror Force. Every one of Weevil's monsters was destroyed, which caused his Life Points to drop from 2000 to 555.

Weevil played a monster in defense mode, and on his turn, Yugi played Monster Recovery to return every monster he controlled, along with the cards in his hand to his deck. This allowed him to summon the monster with the lowest attack from the cards he drew - Kuriboh. In order to counter it, Weevil activated Parasite Worm. Parasite Worm destroyed Kuriboh, dropping Yugi's Life Points from 1350 to 1050. Weevil summoned Larvae Moth in defense mode and equipped it with Cocoon of Evolution, which raised its defense points from 520 to 2000. "Isn't it beautiful?" Weevil exclaimed. Little strands began wrapping themselves around the larvae in a most disgusting manner.

"Eww," Yugi and the Armlet spirit breathed. "Nasty," Delilah said.

"Eww. That's just gross," Tea commented.

"Weevil's bug is sealing itself in a cocoon," Joey said.

"Behold!" he declared. "My Cocoon of Evolution! Within that cocoon sits my tiny little larvae moth, and over the next five turns, he will undergo a startling transformation... From harmless caterpillar to unstoppable great moth!"

In five turns, Larvae Moth would evolve into a stronger monster. "Then I'll crack your cocoon before that happens," Yugi said. He summoned Gaia, the Fierce Knight and attacked Larvae Moth. But the attack failed due to the field power bonus, which gave Larvae Moth 2600 defense points.

Yugi: 750

Weevil: 555

"Easier said than done, Yugi," Weevil replied, "for my Cocoon of Evolution gets a field power bonus from the wilderness around us, increasing its defense points. It'll be so strong, you won't even be able to scratch its surface!"

"Just five more turns, Yugi. In five turns, my great moth will fully evolve and finish you off."

* * *

The duel was nearing its end. Although Yugi now had both Gaia, the Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon on the field, Weevil Underwood had managed to bring out his prized monster.

"So, Yugi, feeling outclassed yet? Or perhaps you're enjoying your first major-league dueling loss. Heh heh."

Yugi kept his composure. "You may have gotten your prized monster onto the field, Weevil, but I'll still find a way to squash that over-sized bug."

Weevil laughed. "You'll pay for that stinging jab with your life points! Great Moth, take flight!"

"So be it," Yugi said. "We'll settle this in the skies!"

"I think it's high time I pay back your knight for demolishing my cocoon."

That seemed to trouble Yugi.

"This is it, Yugi. My Great Moth will crush your defenses, slay your knight, and blast your dragon from the sky."

"Not if I can help it." Yugi placed down a card, but the Spirit of the Armlet had no idea what it was.

"But that's just it, you can't help it. Moth Hurricane Attack!"

The Great Moth attacked and destroyed Yugi's face-down monster. "No! My Beaver Warrior!"

Weevil seemed to take delight in Yugi's struggling. His face really gave it away. "It's hopeless," he said. "Nothing can stand against the gale-force winds fo my Moth Hurricane. Your knight will be totally blown away." He cackled. "That'll teach 'em to mess with my cocoon!"

"Don't count on it!" Yugi said, which greatly confused Weevil. "Weevil, you were so busy fawning over your moth, you didn't see that I played a polymerization card."

Weevil's eyes widened. "But... I thought..."

"If I have two compatible monsters on the field," Yugi explained, "I can use my polymerization card and fuse them into one ultimate creature." An interesting move by Yugi.

A scowl was Weevil's response. "I'm not some beginner. I know what fusion does."

Yugi smiled. "Then you must know it increases my attack points. My fused dragon/knight combo is now powerful enough to go head-to-head with your Great Moth."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Look again!"

As Weevil was speaking, the dragon/knight fusion began losing attack points by the hundreds.

"What? No!" Yugi said. "My knight- he's losing points. And fast. But how? And why?"

"It's poison, Yugi," Weevil explained. "Poison particles from my Great Moth. Each time it uses its Hurricane Attack, it releases tons of these tiny toxic particles. And your precious dragon/knight combo is being poisoned by their deadly touch. Ha ha!"

 _At this rate, Yugi can kiss his spot in the tournament goodbye._ The Spirit almost considered leaving at this point, but she needed to actually see the outcome.

"Looks like I may not have to worry about him," she muttered to herself.

The dragon/knight monster continued losing attack points.

Weevil said, "Looks to me like my poison particles are taking their toll, Yugi."

The boy with the spiky hair drew a card from his deck. He seemed to have been lucky, for he cried out, "Yes! Ready to be rained out, Weevil? Makiu, the Magical Mist!"

Weevil _grr_ ed. "No! My poison!" he shouted. "You're washing it all away!"

"That's right. Magical Mist washes the field clean."

"No fair. I was about to win, and you save yourself with a little drizzle?!" Yugi smirked, before looking in the Spirit's direction. She met his gaze with one of confusion.

"All right then," Weevil said, "you may have stopped my poison attack, but I promise you've only won a brief reprieve because my next move is one you won't be able to think your way out of! Brace yourself for my ultimate insect's ultimate attack!" Great Moth had 2600 attack points and 1900 defense points.

"Great Moth, Tornado of Doom!" Weevil's monster landed a direct hit. "Your little rainstorm didn't save you from that one now, did it? Your knight is toast. And you're almost out of life points." That was true. Yugi was down to 50 life points.

"Yugi, keep figthin'," Joey encouraged. "You can come back from this."

"You've got this," Delilah shouted. "You're all delusional," the blonde woman next to Delilah said. Her name was Mai Valentine. Both Matsumura girls remembered her as the pretty blonde woman from the boat, they never got her name until she started watching the duel too.

"No. Joey's right," Tea replied. "Yugi never gives up, and we never give up on him."

"You're nuts," the woman retorted. "Weevil has totally annihilated Yugi's strongest monster combo. He's down to 50 measly life points. He can't win, so do me a favor and stop yapping."

That only succeeded in angering Tea. "I won't stop yapping, you selfish, pompous-" Delilah tried telling to calm down but Tea paid no attention - "bleach-blonde, know-it-all windbag. Do us a favor and get lost. Right, Joey?"

"You said it, Tea," Joey replied.

Delilah took in all of Mai's words with consideration. "I hate to break to you guys," Delilah spoke up, "but Mai's got a point. Yugi's in trouble, and it's going to take a miracle to get him out of trouble."

"Who's side are you on?!" Tea inquired. Delilah looked at her with slight panic and replied, "Yugi's of course. I'm just taking Mai's words into consideration."

"I told you Yugi never had a chance at winning this thing," Mai said. "He wastes too much of his time listening to you losers."

Tera took this time to speak up, "No, it's more like Weevil keeps his mind in the game and uses as many resources as he can."

"Then why didn't he see this coming?" Tristan asked, grabbing all their attention. "See what coming?" they inquired.

His answer was, "Whatever it is Yugi's grinning about." Tera turned her attention to the duelist in question.

"You're right," Joey said. "He's got a big smile." Yugi began to chuckle, and within a few seconds, he began laughing.

"Uh," began Tea, "he's not smiling. I think he's laughing."

"How can he be laughing at a time like this?" Delilah inquired.

"Hey, hey!" Weevil snapped. "What are you so happy about? Stop that snickering!"

Yugi began with, "Weevil, I know it will be very difficult for you to accept losing a duel... especially after spending so much time finding inventive ways to cheat. But if you thought bending the rules would help you win this match, you're wrong."

"No! This is a mistake!" Weevil shouted.

"You play dishonestly, so you expect the same of your opponents. But I duel with honor, Weevil, and that makes all the difference."

"You got nothing!" Weevil retorted. Tera could sense the slightest bit of fear coming from him.

"Here's what I've got," Yugi replied. "The mighty Summoned Skull (ATK 2500/ DEF 1200)!" The monster managed to catch the Spirit off guard.

"Whoa, what's that?" Mai asked.

"This is it, Weevil," Yugi declared. "Your ultimate insect won't withstand my next attack."

At first, Weevil didn't seem to be fazed, until he heard Yugi chuckling once again. "There's something you overlooked, Weevil," Yugi mentioned. It didn't take Tera long to realize what it was - Magical Mist.

"My Magical Mist is still dampening this entire field." Both Mai and Weevil gasped. The mist blanketed the entire field, making everything wet. Worry began to cloud Weevil's face. "He's right. Everything's wet. My Great Moth's totally soaked."

Yugi added on, "And my Summoned Skull attacks with electricity, making your waterlogged bug a giant-sized lightning rod. I hope you're in the mood for some fireworks, Weevil, because all this water boosts my monster's electrical attack by 1000 points (ATK 3500).

3500 attack points. Amaterasu's annoying laughter filled Tera's ears. _"Are you sure you won't need me?"_

"Summoned Skull, lightning strike!" The Great Moth groaned in pain as it took the brunt of the blow and burned. "It's over. I've won."

Weevil: 0

Yugi: 50

His opponent couldn't really believe it. "No! Impossible! My moth's unbeatable!" He collapsed in disbelief.

Yugi's friends began cheering for him as Tera and Mai stood in almost awe. "This isn't going to be a walk in the park," the Spirit whispered to herself.

"Impressive," Mai admitted. "I didn't think Yugi could ever beat Weevil."

Delilah and Tera stayed a bit longer to see Yugi take Weevil's star chips. Joey then took his dueling gauntlet since he no longer needed it.

Delilah congratulated Yugi before he turned his focus to Tera/the Spirit.

The small conversation began with Tera. "C-congratulations." She looked down, not facing her fellow spirit, against his wishes. But, as much as he wanted her to look at him, he didn't do anything. He just nodded and said, "Thank you, class rep."

Tera's heart skipped a beat, much to her frustration. "Well," - she began to turn in order to walk away - "now I know I need to tread lightly." Delilah said goodbye to her friends and began to leave with her sister. They stopped when Yugi wished Tera good luck.

This time, Tera's gaze met Yugi's, but what Yugi saw he didn't expect. When Tera looked at him, she gave him a sad look. At that moment, Yugi saw another girl, who looked exactly the same, giving him an equally sad look. "Wishing luck to your competition. That's really kind of you, _Yugi_."

They continued on their way. Tera was ready to duel, and she was determined to make it to the castle.


	6. Reveal of the Millennium Ring

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any components from other anime, manga, or other literary work. I also do not own any songs. I only own the Matsumura family and future OC's. Please enjoy the story.

* * *

 _Long ago,_ _in a time when Earth did not exist - an era in which magic reigned supreme - the first humans lived on a planet called Foreheim. These humans, the Forsir,_ Homo pythonicus _, were magical beings that not only manipulated the forces of magic and its energy but also manipulated science as well - the most powerful and feared spellcasters. They were divided into twelve tribes and lived in twelve different regions, based on their dominant magical abilities._

 _Now, only one seer remains - the new queen, Salem, known to her peers by her birth name. She is trapped in a world that sees her both as a monster and a way to become rich._

* * *

"I summon A.N.G. Zaphton (0/100) in Attack Mode." Tera - rather the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet - was currently dueling someone (and kicking his butt). While the Spirit still had 1800 Life Points, her opponent had 700. Everything was going according to her calculations.

"What is this?" her opponent shouted. "It's like you can guess what I'm going to do before I even do it."

"Hm." Delilah was watching her sister duel. She was the only person besides Tera who could offer an explanation. _Tha_ _t guy shouldn't have underestimated my sister. It doesn't matter if she's her shy self or confident like the way she is now. No one can beat her. Not when she's in tactician mode._

To the Spirit's opponent, she said, "Well, it's no surprise. You're going against the Duel Monsters Tactician."

"With Zaphton on the field, I activate Athena's (2600/800) effect." The Spirit said. "You now take 600 points of damage."

Duelist: 100

Spirit: 1800

"Zaphton, I order you to attack Flame Fiend. With its effect, if Zaphton attacks or is attacked, it is not destroyed. Instead, the difference in our monsters' attack points is dealt as damage to you."

Duelist: 0

Spirit: 1800

"No way... I lost." The Duelist got off the Dueling platform and looked down in defeat, sitting on the ground. The Spirit approached him and crouched down in order to have eye contact.

"As agreed upon," she said, "you owe me your four star chips." She held out her hand, indicating that she wasn't going to be refused. Soon enough, she got her star chips and thanked her opponent quickly before joining Delilah.

"Nice job, Tera," Delilah said. The Millennium Armlet glowed as the Spirit handed control over to Tera. "Thanks," she said softly, though she was also wondering exactly what she was sensing from her Armlet.

"Honestly, it's incredible. Twelve star chips, Yin. You can gain entry into Pegasus's castle." Tera nodded in response. Her gauntlet had four chips on it, but she decided to hide any more chips she earned.

"Let's get going," she suggested. "News about the Tactician being on the island is spreading, and I want to ensure I have little competition before everyone knows."

Before they could move on, they were intercepted by a certain blonde woman. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Aren't you two from the Matsumura family?"

Tera immediately hid behind her sister while she faced what could potentially be Tera's next opponent. "Delilah and Tera Matsumura. It's a pleasure to meet you."

After bowing her head slightly, Tera shyly said, "P-pleasure to meet you."

"Anything we can help you with Miss Mai Valentine?"

"Just Mai is fine."

Delilah arched her eyebrow. "I prefer Ma'am but okay,... Mai is there something you need from us, or specifically Tera?" The blonde eyed the bags the girls brought with them, leading Delilah to assume Mai wanted to be a freeloader. The sun was starting to set, so she did expect a few people to come up to them. She said to Mai, "Sorry, we don't camp with strangers. Pretty strangers who douse themselves in perfume call for more suspicion. For all I know, you could be trying to mask some chemical - that or massive B.O." She gave Mai a smug face. Mai replied with an angry scoff.

"For your information, I'm neither a creep nor do I stink!" She bounced her bag. "I'm also willing to share the food I have!"

The Matsumura twins looked at each other for a moment. Delilah then gestured to Mai with her head before Tera sighed. "Okay."

"Alright, Ma'am," Delilah said, clapping her hands together, "looks like you'll be joining us for dinner."

* * *

.~~~.

-_-; -(o_ _)o

 _"Tera, watch where you're going."_

 _"Okaaaayyyy... "_

.~~~.

* * *

"Don't take too long, Ma'am," Delilah said, "or else we might set up camp and eat without you." Nighttime had fallen by the time they had found someplace to set up, and although Mai was going to take a walk Delilah wasn't worried. She knew that if Mai wanted their food she needed to help out. However, after ten minutes of Mai leaving, the girls grew bored.

"What do we do while we wait for her?" Tera asked her sister. From the look on her face, one could tell that she was relieved Mai was gone.

Delilah dug through her bag until she found a lavender CD player. She handed it to Tera saying, "Well, we could always practice that song. We're in a secluded enough space and I doubt Ma'am's gonna be back anytime soon."

"I beg to differ," the black-haired girl said, looking at her sister as if she gave the dumbest idea in all of history. Still, Delilah persisted, shaking the CD player in front of Tera's face until she relented, however, asking if they could sing acapella. Smiling at her somewhat victory, Delilah agreed to her sister's request.

(A/N: This is the acapella version of LOVELESS WORLD from Love Live on YouTube.)

 ** _Mitsumete yo... mitsumenaide..._**

 ** _Kokoro ga sakenderu_**

 ** _Musubarenu unmei ni hikisakareru omoide_**

 ** _Mitsumete yo... mitsumenaide..._**

 ** _Dochira mo watashi nano_**

 ** _Sayonara no Kiss shite kanashimi no kuni e_**

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

...

 ** _Look at me...No, don't look..._**

 ** _My heart is crying out as my memories are torn apart_**

 ** _By a fate that won't let us be together_**

 ** _Look at me...No, don't look..._**

 ** _Both of those options are me_**

 ** _I'll give you a farewell kiss before leaving for a land of sorrow_**

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

...

 _Shiritaku wa nakatta_

 _Sono yasashisa to nukumori_

 ** _Watashi ga modoru sekai eien no inochi no yami_**

...

 _I didn't want to know_

 _About that kindness and warmth_

 ** _Because I'm returning to a world of eternal darkness_**

...

 **Hajimete yo konna ni dareka** _(itoshiku)_

 **Itoshiku naru hodo tsurakute** _(nakeru no)_

 **Yurusarenai koi no honoo**

 **That was the first time I'd been loved by someone**

 **The more I was loved, the more painful it was, and I cried**

 **The forbidden flame of love**

...

 ** _Mitsumete yo... mitsumenaide..._**

 ** _Kokoro ga sakenderu_**

 ** _Musubarenu unmei ni hikisakareru omoide_**

 ** _Mitsumete yo... mitsumenaide..._**

 ** _Dochira mo watashi nano_**

 ** _Sayonara no Kiss shite kanashimi no kuni e_**

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

...

 ** _Look at me...No, don't look..._**

 ** _My heart is crying out as my memories are torn apart_**

 ** _By a fate that won't let us be together_**

 ** _Look at me...No, don't look..._**

 ** _Both of those options are me_**

 ** _I'll give you a farewell kiss before leaving for a land of sorrow_**

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

...

 **Onaji toki o ikite**

 **Onaji yume o katariau**

 _Negai wa kanawanu mama kodoku no naka e kaeru wa_

...

 **Living the same moments**

 **Sharing the same dreams**

 _So long as my wish won't be granted, I'll have to return to isolation_

...

 ** _Hohoende tsumetai kotoba_** **(kakeru no)**

 _ **Tsumetai taido o misete mo** (setsunaku)_

 ** _Kese wa shinai koi no honoo_**

...

 ** _I smile as I say those cold words_**

 _ **But even if I act distant, it hurts**_

 ** _The flame of love can't be extinguished_**

...

 ** _Wasurete yo... wasurenaide..._**

 ** _Anata o dakishimete_**

 ** _Hai ni naru unmei o erabitai no hontou wa_**

 ** _Wasurete yo... wasurenaide... dochira mo watashi nano_**

 ** _Shiawase negatteru to ii nagara yami e_**

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

...

 ** _Forget...No, don't forget..._**

 ** _I embrace you_**

 ** _I really do want to choose a future of destruction_**

 ** _Forget...No, don't forget... both of those options are me_**

 ** _I head for the darkness as I pray for happiness_**

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

...

 **Kienai kienai kono honoo**

 _Watashi no naka moeru_ _ima mo_ **(kesenai kara)**

 _Koko de dakishimetai_

 _Minna minna wasuretai_ **(ai nano)**

...

 **This flame won't go out**

 _It still burns within me_

 _I want to embrace you here_

 _I want to forget everything_

...

 _Wasurete yo... wasurenaide..._

 _Anata o dakishimete_

 **Hai ni naru unmei o erabitai no hontou wa**

 **Wasurete yo... wasurenaide... dochira mo watashi nano**

 _Shiawase negatteru to ii nagara yami e_

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

 _Forget...No, don't forget..._

 _I embrace you_

 **I really do want to choose a future of destruction**

 **Forget...No, don't forget... both of those options are me**

 _I head for the darkness as I pray for happiness_

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

...

 ** _Mitsumete yo... mitsumenaide..._**

 ** _Kokoro ga sakenderu_**

 ** _Musubarenu unmei ni hikisakareru omoide_**

 ** _Mitsumete yo... mitsumenaide..._**

 ** _Dochira mo watashi nano_**

 ** _Sayonara no Kiss shite_ shiawase o negau **_(aishiteru to)_

 **Watashi wa hitori de** _(aishiteru to)_ **kanashimi no _kuni e_**

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

...

 ** _Look at me...No, don't look..._**

 ** _My heart is crying out as my memories are torn apart_**

 ** _By a fate that won't let us be together_**

 ** _Look at me...No, don't look..._**

 ** _Both of those options are me_**

 ** _I'll give you a farewell kiss_** **and pray for happiness** _(I love you)_

 **Before leaving for a** **land** **of sorrow, alone** _(I love you)_

 ** _LOVELESS WORLD_**

Looking down, Tera heard - what she assumed was her sister - clapping for the two of them. It wasn't until she heard more than two hands clapping that she actually looked up - only to face Mai with Yugi and his friends. _Oh no!_ _What have I done?_ she thought, as her eyes went black and white.

Tea walked up to her and grabbed both her hands, which only succeeded in startling her more. "That was beautiful, Class rep. I didn't know you could sing so well."

The magician could barely form words in her mouth. She was still contemplating how she could have been so stupid. Why exactly did she listen to her sister? "U-um, thank y-you?" Her voice barely rose above a whisper. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"Tea's right," Joey said. "You ever thought of joining the prez and becoming an idol too?"

That did it. Delilah laughed nervously, both at Joey's suggestion and the fact that he carelessly spilled the beans about her in front of Mai. "Uh, about that. It's actually a pretty funny story." She rubbed the back of her head. "Well, you see..."

The black-haired foreseer watched her world crumble, and with the cat out of the bag, she (comically) fell backward.

* * *

.~~~.

(。。;)＼(-_-)

 _"There, there, Yin. It's going to be okay."_

 _"How could you tell them?"_

.~~~.

* * *

Delilah gently patted her silent sister's back. "There, there. It's going to be okay." Poor Tera. She was slightly hunched over a plate of food, munching away, her bangs hiding her eyes from Delilah's gaze.

"We're really sorry, Class rep. We had no idea," Yugi said. Though it really wasn't his fault, he truly was sorry and didn't want the girl to feel uncomfortable around him. Tera sighed in response. "It's alright," she said softly, "but please I'm begging you: don't share this with anyone... please?" Her grip on her plate got tighter as she got teary-eyed like a small child.

Delilah once again patted Tera's back, though with a hard frown, before smiling softly. "Don't worry, sis. I have really nice friends, so nice that they would never give you away like that." Tera's gaze met Delilah's; she knew those words had a second meaning and thus, she scoffed internally. _Whatever_ , she thought, stealing a glance at Yugi's Millennium Item. ... _What am I sensing around us?_

"And I've deemed Ma'am okay, so I'm sure she'll keep her mouth shut too - for the right bargain, I assume?"

"Okay," Mai said. "Exactly how much are we talking about?"

"Huh?" Delilah said in fake surprise. "You're getting paid with every piece of my food you stuff into your mouth." That annoyed Mai slightly.

"I'd be okay with that if I were you," Tea said. "This food is worth four stars."

Yugi spoke up. "Speaking of stars, I hear you've won a few, Mai." Mai took a swig of her soda, while Tera almost choked on food (thankfully without it being noticeable). "How many do you have, 8? Or is it 9? However many, it sure sounds like you're in the zone."

"Ha. Don't think you're gonna fool me with your nice guy routine, Yugi. It's only a matter of time before you-"

"Can't we just forget about the tournament for one night?" Tea interrupted.

Delilah agreed. "Yeah, there's got to be better things to talk about."

"Let's make fun of Joey instead," Tristan suggested. "That's always fun."

You didn't need magic to feel the awkwardness and tenseness of the situation. Being there in that moment, Tera felt like she would rather kiss her dog.

"Ok," Mai said. "Just as long as everyone is crystal clear about one little thing - any duelist in my way is going down."

 _This woman's really scary_ , Tera thought, a nervous sweat running down the side of her face. _She's almost on par with my grandma._

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go for a walk." And with that said, Mai left the others, leaving them confused in the process.

A few minutes later, Tera felt a slight shock through her mind, alerting her of the presence of a magical item; she stood up response, gaining the attention of the others.

"Something wrong, Class rep?" Joey asked. With rustling in the bushes, Delilah, Joey, and Tristan stood up as well, ready to attack the intruder, but there was no need; it was only Bakura. Everyone relaxed.

"See, I'm not crazy, Bakura's here. I haven't been seeing things," Tea said.

"What are you doing here, Bakura?" Joey asked him. Bakura's reply was, "Same as you guys, I guess." A little while later, he was joining them, much to Tera's worry. _There's something off about him._

All of them sitting around the campfire, Joey took out his deck and proceed to stare at one of his cards.

"Hey, Joey, You've been staring at that card for a like an hour," Tristan asked. "What's up?"

"Okay, I'll tell you, just don't laugh," Joey replied. "Sometimes when I'm in a duel, I pretend that I'm the one on the field swapping blows with whatever card my opponent has out. Sounds pretty dumb, right?"

Delilah shook her head. "Mm-mmm. That isn't weird. It just means you're like my sister-" she turned to her sister "-right, Tera?"

"Yeah... " Tera said, giggling nervously and slightly sweatdropping. _Something like that._

"Well, if you were, which card would you want to be, Joey?" Bakura asked.

"I'd be the Flame Swordsman! He kicks everyone's butt!" Joey pretended to hold a sword and slash down with it.

With that question in mind, the rest gave their own answers with Tristan as the Cyber Commander, Tea as the Magician of Faith, and Yugi as the Dark Magician. Talking about Duel Monsters, Tera began to feel a lot more comfortable than she was a few minutes ago. "Those are some good choices," she said.

"What about you two?" Bakura asked the Matsumura sisters. "Which cards would you be?"

"I'd have to pick this one." Delilah took a card from her sister's deck. "Magician Rossweisse. And Tera would obviously be-"

"-Crista Nova," Tera finished, holding up a card.

"Wow, that's a really strong monster," Tea commented.

Tera nodded. "Uh huh. But that's not why this card is my favorite." She gently stroked the Crista Nova card. "It's number one for me because the story behind this card can connect with people in my family. I truly treasure her."

Her answer prompted the others to smile gently at her. Realizing this, Tera waved her arms in front of her in a small panic. "W-well, enough about me. W-what about you, Bakura?"

"My favorite card is this one," he answered, holding up a magic card.

"The Change of Heart?" Bakura nodded.

"Kind of a weird lookin' picture, don't ya think?" Joey asked.

"Don't be rude, Joey," Delilah said.

"If you want to see how it works, then how about we have a duel?" Bakura suggested. "Not for star chips, but for fun."

"Yeah, a regular old duel sounds like a great idea," Yugi said.

"Then put your favorite cards into Yugi's deck. It'll be like we're all playing."

Everyone complied and put their cards into Yugi's deck as the duel began. They made use of a tree stump and it became the table.

"Don't worry, Bakura, we'll go easy on you," Delilah said. Putting his hands close to his chest, Bakura said, "Before we get started, there's something I want to share with you all, especially with you Yugi, Tera... " His voice had gotten colder. Tera once again felt a shock through her skull, and around Bakura's neck appeared a Millennium Item.

Both Yugi and Tera gasped. "A Millennium Item... "

"Yes, and the magic of my Millennium Ring will take us to the Shadow Realm."

"Man, I hate magic," Joey commented.

"Why are you doing this?" Yugi asked.

"You two have something that I want, and I aim to take it!"

 _" **Is that so?** " _a voice resonated from Tera's Millennium Armlet as she lost consciousness along with the others. In her place emerged the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet. She looked around to see Delilah, Yugi, and their friends collapsed on the ground, and she couldn't feel Tera's presence. Glaring at Bakura, she asked, "What have you done to them?" (By them, she means Tera and Delilah.)

"Their souls have been locked away," Bakura answered, "and now after waiting for countless centuries, the legendary Millennium Puzzle is mine." He began moving closer to the unconscious Yugi only to be blocked by the Spirit. On the tip of her forefinger was a ball of condensed mana. "Sorry," she said, "but if that Puzzle is going to anyone, it'll be me. I don't care if I have to brawl you to get it."

A flash of light interrupted the start of what could have been a showdown. Both Bakura and the Spirit focused their attention onto the Millennium Puzzle and its now-conscious wearer.

 _So much for my plan_ , the Spirit thought.

"No, it can't be!"

"You want my Millennium Puzzle? Then you're going to have to duel me for it. But if I win, you'll release my friends and send us all back."

Tera (the Spirit of the Armlet) walked to the side of the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. "You mean he has to duel _us_ ," she told him, earning a weird look and a smile from him. She sighed. "I'm only teaming up with you for Delilah's sake," though smiling, she had a cynical look in her eye, "though I hope you understand that I want your Puzzle, as well, _Yugi_." He nodded in response.

Bakura smiled wickedly. "I agree to your ridiculous terms," he said, "but I promise you, there is more at stake than you comprehend. This is one shadow game you cannot win!"

* * *

The following are monsters found in Tera's deck that are not found in the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise:

 **Card Name: A.N.G. Zaphton**

Attribute: Light

Level: 6

Type: Fairy

Card Type: Effect Monster

ATK: 0

DEF: 100

Effect: When this monster attacks or is attacked, it cannot be destroyed. The difference in attack points is then inflicted as damage to the opponent.

Appearance: Zaphton takes the appearance of a fourteen-year-old girl with eyes that are completely blue and brown hair that's braided and resting on her right shoulder. She has wings with feathers that cascade from blue to white and are adorned with gold plating. She wears an off-the-shoulder, short white dress that splits in the middle from the waist - down with a floor-length, lavender layer underneath. The sleeves are puffy with blue lace and white lace at the end that both extend outward. The edges of the split are decorated with lace with the top of it being covered with a blue bow. The neckline of Zaphton's dress is decorated with lace and blue roses. Angel-wing hair clips cover her ears and almost wrap around her head, starting from her ears. On her wrist, she wears a bracelet with a cross dangling from it.

 **Card Name: Magician Rossweisse**

Attribute: Light

Level: 7

Type: Spellcaster

Card Type: Effect Monster

ATK: 2300

DEF: 1800

Effect: When summoned, a monster with the same level and attribute can be special summoned onto the field and fuse with the Magician Rossweisse.

Appearance: Rossweise is a young woman wearing a shirt with a strap on only one shoulder. Over that shirt is a long robe that shows a good amount of her figure and covers her arms (but not her shoulders or back) with a brooch attached to fabric that goes around her neck. On her head, she wears what's similar to a conical hat with a long veil attached to it. The color scheme consists of white and light green. On her body (minus her head), there are golden words in an unknown language tattooed.

 **Card Name: Crista Nova**

Attribute: Light

Level: 7

Type: Spellcaster

Card Type: Effect Monster

ATK: 3000

DEF: 2400

Effect: 1) Crista Nova gains 300 ATK points for every ally in the graveyard. 2) Crista Nova can be given to the opponent but will deal 500 points of damage to said opponent each turn.

Appearance: Crista Nova has bluish, wispy hair. For her attire, she wears two long, flowing pieces of light blue fabric that cover her front and back, but not her sides or breasts. They're connected by two thin chains on each side and grayish-purple ribbons that cross underneath her armpits. Across the top of her chest - just below her collar bone - is a light blue ribbon that wraps around to the back and connects to straps of the same material. Around her neck is a bow (a light blue one of a darker shade), and its ends cover most of her breasts with the tips having gold rings on them. On her lower arms are chains extending to her elbows, and just below her shoulders are ribbons that crisscross. In her hand, Crista Nova has a crystal ball with which she attacks her opponents.


	7. Spirit of the Millennium Ring

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any components from other anime, manga, or other literary work. I also do not own any songs. I only own the Matsumura family and future OC's. Please enjoy the story.

Post-Note: I made a slight addition to Rossweisse's effect: When summoned, a monster with the same level and attribute can be special summoned onto the field and fuse with the Magician Rossweisse.

* * *

 _Long ago,_ _in a time when Earth did not exist - an era in which magic reigned supreme - the first humans lived on a planet called Foreheim. These humans, the Forsir,_ Homo pythonicus _, were magical beings that not only manipulated the forces of magic, its formula, and its energy but also manipulated science as well. They were divided into twelve tribes and lived in twelve different regions, based on their dominant magical abilities._

 _Now, only one seer remains - the new queen, Salem, known to her peers by her birth name. She is trapped in a world that sees her both as a monster and a valuable resource._

* * *

"Bakura, what have you done?" the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle/"Yugi" asked.

"Why have you taken us to the Shadow Realm?"

Bakura chuckled. "Bakura? Bakura's no longer here."

"So you're like us then?" the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet/"Tera" inquired. "If not, then who are you?"

"I am a thief and a stealer of souls," the person answered, "and I have done terrible things in my quest to possess the Millennium Items. You do remember the legends, don't you? 'Whosoever wields all eight Millennium Items will possess power unimaginable.'"

What the person was saying reminded the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet of Tera's library. The Millennium Items did indeed possess incredible power. "'Power no mortal can comprehend.' Legends say they can even lead you to a treasure which allows you to resurrect the dead - a feat that's highly taboo."

"You know that?"

"Oh?" said "Bakura". "So one of you does remember."

The Spirit of the Millennium Armlet shook her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I only remember reading it somewhere."

"That's a shame," he replied. "Oh well, before I'm done with the two of you, your Millennium Items will be mine."

"That's not going to happen," the Spirit of the Puzzle said, "whoever you are!"

"Then let the Shadow Game begin. The first move is yours."

 **"Bakura"/the Spirit of the Millennium Ring: 2000**

 **Spirits/"Yugi" and "Tera": 2000**

Sitting down, the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle drew his and his partner's first hand. Both looked at the cards in his hand before the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet nodded to him as a way to say, _"Go ahead."_

"Our first card will be the Cyber Commander (750/700) in defense mode."

"If I recall," the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet said, "this is Tristan's favorite card."

As soon as she said that, when the Cyber Commander made its appearance, the female spirit's eyes widened in slight surprise while her partner gasped. "Tristan?" Indeed, the Cyber Commander looked identical to Tristan and even sounded and acted like him, too. That was made apparent when he looked around in bewilderment. "Huh?" he said. "What a weird dream. What's going on here?" He turned around to find the Spirits looking down on him.

"Bakura must have used his Millennium Ring to trap Tristan's soul within his favorite card," "Yugi" said.

 _If that's the case,_ "Tera" thought, _then that would mean the others are under the same circumstances._

The Spirit of the Millennium Ring chuckled. "Who's your little friend? He looks pretty tough, but can he deal with this? The White Magical Hat (1000/700)."

"Bakura's" monster destroyed Tristan. "Tristan!"

"Yugi" demanded to know what "Bakura" had done and where Tristan had gone.

"Where do you think?" their opponent asked. "To the discard pile, or the Graveyard as we call it in Duel Monsters."

The Spirit of the Millennium Armlet glared at him. "Do you realize that you've sent Tristan to a place of which none of us have any true knowledge, correct? Are you willing to pay for the consequences?" While the Spirit was a little concerned for Tristan, she was more worried about the two sisters that had yet to appear.

Her partner clearly was not happy with the situation, neither was she, but she knew that in order to win they needed to stay calm. They also needed to use the cards they wished to avoid. She gently grasped "Yugi's" hand, prompting him to look at her - though she did not meet his gaze. Rather, she looked down towards her lap. "Listen," she said. "The souls of the people we care about are trapped within their favorite cards. I know both of us would like to avoid those cards, but our victory is the only thing that can help them, and right now only one card can beat that White Magical Hat."

The Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle nodded in understanding. "Joey's favorite card: the Flame Swordsman (1800/1600)."

Making his appearance, the Flame Swordsman - in reality, Joey - turned around, wondering what was going on, and freaked out in response to giant versions of who he assumed to be Yugi and Tera.

"Joey, listen to me," the Spirit of the Puzzle said. "Your soul has been sealed inside your favorite card. You've become the Flame Swordsman."

"I'm da who?!"

"Joey Wheeler," the Spirit of the Armlet said, "focus. If we lose this duel, we can't restore you and the others to normal. Furthermore, if you're defeated in this battle, you'll be sent to the Card Graveyard just like Tristan was." That only succeeded in worrying Joey more. _If only I was a master tactician like the other me,_ she thought. _I guess I'll really have to work with my partner in order to make up for that. Still, her skills were borderline precognition. I know I have the potential to be a good strategist, but will I be able to mimic that girl's way of thinking?_

"Joey, in order to win this duel and get us all out of the Shadow Realm, we're going to need your help."

"Say no more, Yug," Joey replied. "You want my help, you got it. I'm here for ya." He turned around to face his opponent only to take notice of the larger Spirit of the Millennium Ring. His reaction was pretty much the same with some minor changes - mainly him commenting on how he was "6 inches tall, wearin' a dress" and about to fight "Bakura."Joey then attacked "Bakura's" White Magical Hat, bringing his Life Points down.

 **"Bakura": 1200**

 **Spirits: 2000**

The Spirit of the Millennium Ring placed a card face down to the confusion of his fellow spirits. _A face-down card. It could be any card, truly, and since this is my first time witnessing him duel, the only thing I can say about him is that he's most likely an unpredictable Duelist. We need to be careful._

With his new-found confidence, Joey attacked the face-down card, ignoring the verbal warnings of the Spirits of the Millennium Puzzle and Armlet. The set monster turned out to be a Morphing Jar (700/600). Due to its effect, all the cards in the players' hands were sent to the Graveyard. Both "Yugi" and "Tera" considered themselves lucky they didn't have any soul cards. After drawing another hand, the Spirits looked at their new cards. Unfortunately for them, they had not only one but _two!_ soul cards; they were the Magician Rossweisse and Crista Nova - Delilah's and Tera's favorite cards.

The male spirit looked at his female counterpart, unsure if he should risk the safety of both her and Delilah. "Tera", however, was not. Although she wanted to avoid those cards, doing so would be going back on what she told her partner earlier. "If you're not going to play those cards, then I will," she muttered sternly.

"Bakura" then played a set monster and placed a card face down. The Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle drew another card - the Dark Magician, containing Yugi's soul.

"We summon the Magician Rossweisse (2300/1800) - Delilah's soul card - in attack mode," said the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet, "and due to her effect, we also summon Tera's soul card, Crista Nova (3000/2400), and fuse them together. In their places, I introduce the Interplay of Dark and Light (2800/2100)."

The two sisters appeared on the field wearing the outfits of their respective monsters. Along with those clothes, Delilah wore lightly-colored chains on her left wrist and ankle while Tera wore black chains on her right wrist and ankle.

"Sis, please tell me this a dream," Delilah asked of Tera. Her reply was, "Unfortunately, I don't think so," in a mutter only her sister could hear. "Well, this is just peachy."

The two then took notice of Joey, who - to their surprise - was looking at them with a goofy grin and blush covering his cheeks. That prompted them to look at each other and take notice of each other's attire, both doing a good job at showing how well-endowed they were.

Tera covered her breasts in embarrassment while Delilah shouted, "Are you going to keep staring or are you going to fill us in?!"

"We're currently playing a Shadow Game against the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring," said a masculine voice behind them, "and we need your help to defeat him and get out of the Shadow Realm."

"What he said," Joey said.

Now the twins took notice of the three giants watching them. "Thank you for the info," Delilah said to the larger version of Yugi before addressing both Tera and the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet. "But how can you be dueling and playing as a monster at the same time?"

"Tell me," Tera said to the larger version of herself, "are you the one I've always sensed around me when I duel. Are you the one who's bound me to my Millennium Armlet?"

The larger Tera nodded. "If it's possible for me to explain, then I will later, but right now we're in the middle of a duel."

Joey, Tera, and Delilah nodded in understanding. The Spirits ended their turn, and Bakura passed his. Yugi as the Dark Magician (2500/2100) was summoned onto the field. "Where am I?" he asked. The Spirits also played the magic card Monster Reborn, which brought back a confused Tristan from the graveyard. "Guys, are you dreamin' this, too?"

"Nah, this ain't no dream, Tristan. It's just me going insane. S'all just one big delusion." Joey said.

"But just a second ago, I was up there," Yugi said. "The class rep was with me, too."

"Yeah. If you're down here, then who are they up there?" Tristan asked. Both Tera and Yugi replied that they didn't really know, prompting the Spirits to ask them if that was really the case.

"Well, I have noticed that sometimes, when I duel, it feels as if someone is guiding me. And sometimes I can hear a strong voice calling out to me from my Millennium Puzzle. Class rep, do you feel like that too sometimes?"

Still covering her breasts, Tera replied softly, "Kind of. I have a feeling like that when I duel, and I do hear a strong voice, but it's more like I come up with a strategy and that person decides whether or not to execute it. Essentially, that person is my confidence when dueling. Sometimes, I hear her too when I'm not dueling, telling me to keep moving forward."

"I'm sure what it's all about, but we can trust them."

"I agree."

Delilah said to the two, "Okay, then I'll trust your judgment."

"If da big guys are okay in your book, then they're okay by me," Joey said. Tristan also supported their decision.

"So, now what?" Yugi asked. "Maybe we should try and find Tea? She must still be in the deck."

"Then we should try and win dis thing before her card gets played."

Yugi attacked Bakura's set monster, which turned out to be another Morphing Jar, forcing the players to throw out their hands and draw new ones. One of the cards in the Spirits' new hand was the Magician of Faith - Tea's soul card.

The Spirit of Millennium Ring, after teasing the Spirits, set another monster. He then played a trap card, causing his opponents to lose 375 Life Points for each monster on their side of the field. The Spirits of the Millennium Puzzle and Armlet winced as their Life Points went down to 500. Another powerful attack and it'd be all over.

* * *

 _.~~~._

(_ _)..ooOO

 _"Hey, Tristan. Wake up, pal, you're dreamin'"_

 _.~~~._

* * *

"Whoa! That trap card just nailed our Life Points," Tristan said.

Still wincing, the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet told her partner. "I think we're going to have to play Tea's soul card."

"You're right," he replied. "It's not safe in our hand." The Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle set the Magician of Faith (300/400) face-down in defense mode. Appeared Tea dressed as the Magician of Faith. Although she was confused at first, she was able to greet her friends with a cheerful attitude. "Hey! What's up?"

Yugi, Delilah, Joey, and Tristan quickly tried to shield their friend from the gaze of the Spirit of the Millennium Ring - though Tera tried pointing out that it wasn't going to work.

"It's a little early for Halloween, don't you think?" Tea asked.

"Shush!" Joey whispered to Tea. "Bakura, Yugi, and the class rep are dueling giants and are fighting for our souls."

"But they're right here!"

"Yeah." Yugi had to agree with that. "Well, those guys aren't really us, but they're not really not us."

"I know it's confusing, Tea," Delilah whispered, "but just go along with it. Look, it's magic."

"So I'm not crazy?"

"Hopefully not."

Joey said, "Just think of it this way, Tea. There are two Yugis and two Teras, the cool ones up there and the puny ones down here."

"Hey!" Yugi and Tera said in unison. Neither one of them liked Joey's remark. "That's not how it works at all!"

Tera puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and walked towards Joey, no longer caring if her cleavage was showing. It took a lot to get Tera angry, but one sure-fire way was to comment on her height - especially so if calling her a little girl or puny.

"Joey, just how did you manage to make _my sister_ of all people mad at you?!"

"It's just a joke, guys, relax."

"You forget that here, I have the powers of the Dark Magician. I'll show you who's puny around here." Yugi attacked the Electric Lizard, "Bakura's" face-down card and as a result, suffered some recoil.

"You can't attack the Electric Lizard without some rather shocking feedback, "Bakura" said. "A lesson your little Yugi won't soon forget." He chuckled maniacally.

The Spirits of the Millennium Puzzle and Armlet looked at the five cards in their hand, choosing to set a Trap Card onto the field and end their turn.

With it now being "Bakura"'s turn the boys tried once again to hide Tea from him - a rather futile attempt for the Spirit of the Millennium Ring claimed that he could see her perfectly well. "Now I have all six of you right where I want you - helpless on the field, easy prey for my Man-Eater Bug (450/600)." This monster had the ability to automatically destroy one creature on the field as soon as it's flipped up. The gang tried to figure out their next course of action, though it proved to be difficult because as soon as anyone of them attacked, the card would activate.

Their solution was to use the Trap Card the Spirits had placed down, but it required a sacrifice. Despite the protests of the others, Joey sacrificed himself by attacking. "Big Yugi! Use the trap!" Joey urged. "Do it! Do it now!"

The Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle did what he was asked of. He activated the Horn of Heaven. "Blasting its celestial tune directly at your Man-Eating Bug, obliterating him from the field once and for all!" Both Joey and Man-EAting Bug were sent to the Graveyard. His friends were left devastated.

* * *

 _.~~~._

* * *

"I hope you don't harbor any illusions about rescuing your friend Joey from the Graveyard. You've already played reborn the monster, the only way to get him back. And soon, the Reaper of Cards will claim his soul forever."

The words of the Spirit of the Millennium Ring pulled at Tea's heartstrings. Her friend had sacrificed himself for their sake and they couldn't bring him back. Such a thought brought her great distress, causing her to shed a tear. In turn, as the Magician of Faith, her own effect was activated, which allowed the Spirits of the Puzzle and Armlet to bring back one magic card from the discard pile and add it to their hand. The card chosen was Monster Reborn.

Playing that card brought Joey back from the Graveyard, much to the delight of his friends.

Their opponent sneered at this act of kindness. "You waste your time and your turns rescuing these foolish mortals."

"What does it matter to you how we play the game?" The Spirit of Millennium Armlet inquired. "Make your move."

"Oh, I'll move. This is the play that will end the match and win me your Millennium Items." The Spirit of the Millennium Ring placed down a card. "First, I will play the Lady of Faith (1100/800) in Attack Mode, and then the card that will turn your friends against one another: the Change of Heart."

"Uh, Yugi?" Deliah asked. "Isn't that Bakura's favorite card?"

"Bakura" didn't deny it. "And a very magical card it is! With this card, I can turn you against your comrades. The very friends you sought to protect, you will now destroy."

Tera moved closer to her sister, whom she loves very much. She didn't think they had much of a chance to stop the effect, but nonetheless, she was willing to do anything to keep her sister safe - especially now that they're the same monster card. "That's not going to happen."

"You won't have a choice in the matter! The Change of Heart card allows me to control any opposing monster, and choose you two - the Interplay of Dark and Light."

"Leave the young ones out of this," the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet demanded.

"Why should I? Try protecting them against this!"

On the field appeared the real Bakura in the apparel of the figure in the Change of Heart card. His eyes looked soft and gentle - a stark contrast to the larger one.

"So your soul was sealed into your favorite card, too!"

Bakura - the real one - sighed. "I want to help, but we must act quickly," Bakura had flown into the Lady of Faith, taking her over to the shock of Yugi and the others. "I'll control her while you attack me. You can win against the evil Bakura."

"But if we do that..." Delilah said, her voice trailing off.

"...we'll be destroying you," Tera finished for her sister.

"I don't care," Bakura said. "It's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit. Do it!"

The evil Bakura urged his counterpart to be quiet. The eye of Horus appeared on the forehead of the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle switching the places of the two Bakuras.

"Why couldn't you have done that sooner," the Spirit of the Millennium Armlet said, but soon after she decided to push that aside and use that as an advantage. "Do it, you two. Use your combined powers."

Delilah smirked at the Spirit's command. "You heard the lady, Sis."

"Right."

The Spirit of the Millennium Ring was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.

* * *

 _.~~~._

(- o - ) zzZ

.~~~.

* * *

Once the duel ended, everyone had been transported back to the real world. Yugi, Bakura, and Tera stood together in a group discussing the night's most recent events while the others slept peacefully. "Are you okay, Bakura?" Yugi asked.

"I am now, thanks to you."

Tera, in a manner as quiet and polite as ever, said to the white-haired boy, "If you don't mind me asking, where did you get your Millennium Ring?" She had known (or at least speculated) that Bakura had a Millennium Item, but now her initial interest in it increased.

"My father picked it up on one of his trips," he answered. "He told me it's from Ancient Egypt. I think that's where they're all from. He was shopping at a merchant bazaar when the Millennium Ring caught his eye. The man who sold the ring to my father said it had something to do with Duel Monsters, but that never made any sense to me since the card game is new and the thing is clearly ancient. When my father got back, he gave it to me. He said he felt I was destined to have it."

 _Destined, huh?_

By that time, the others were beginning to wake up. Tristan said, "I just dreamt Bakura went totally mental."

"Same here," said Joey. "Last time I snooze with dueling cards under my pillow."

Bakura walked up to them in a friendly manner. "Sleep well, guys?" he said, scaring both Joey and Tristan. They both pulled away from each other after sharing an awkward embrace; the others laughed at their antics."

"I dreamt that we were Duel Monsters and that there were two Yugi's." Tea said, alarming the three Millennium Item holders. Before the three could explain, the sound of a woman screaming rang out a short distance away.

"What was that?" Joey asked.

"I don't know," Yugi said, "but we're going to find out." With that declaration, they ran off into the direction of the scream.

* * *

The following monster is not found in the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise (or at least I don't think):

 **Card Name: Interplay of Dark and Light**

Attribute: Dark

Level: 7

Type: Spellcaster

Card Type: Normal

ATK: 2800

DEF: 2100

Appearance: (displayed in the chapter above)


	8. Be Wary of Bandit Eyes and Eliminators

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any components from other anime, manga, or other literary work. I also do not own any songs. I only own the Matsumura family and future OC's. Please enjoy the story.

* * *

 _Long ago,_ _in a time when Earth did not exist - an era in which magic reigned supreme - the first humans lived on a planet called Foreheim. These humans, the Forsir,_ Homo pythonicus _, were magical beings that not only manipulated the forces of magic and its energy but also manipulated science as well. They were divided into twelve tribes and lived in twelve different regions, based on their dominant magical abilities._

 _Now, only one seer remains - the new queen, Salem, known to her peers by her birth name. She is trapped in a world that sees her both as a monster and a way to become rich._

* * *

The group raced through the forest in the direction of the scream. At the edge of the forest, there was a duel field, with which Mai was dueling against an unknown person and lost to. "Mai, are you OK?!" Yugi called.

A large man wearing all black stood by her. "You're too late," Mai said to them.

"For what?" Tea asked.

The man smiled sickeningly. "I've been hired been Pegasus to root out all the dueling filth on this island and dispose of it." Tera tensed up in shock, remembering the contents of the box she received from Pegasus before the start of Duelist Kingdom, contents which included a note with a warning. _"Be wary..."_

"PaniK is one of the island's eliminators, and if you don't get out of here, you'll lose all your star chips," Mai warned. PaniK grabbed Mai's arm - the one with the gauntlet - and raised it high into the air. "Look," he said, "this is what she means, right here." Her glove was stripped of all her star chips. "Check out her glove. Not a star chip left."

"But that would mean she's been disqualified," Delilah had said, a look of worry on her face.

"You're out, Mai?"

"I am," she replied sadly. Her arm was still being held up by PaniK and she had a pitiful look on her face. "It all happened so fast." She looked towards the ground. "The way PaniK duels, I just lost it."

The man in question had let go of Mai, throwing her in the process. "You creep!" Joey said. Tristan and Bakura tried to hold him back, keeping him from doing anything rash.

"Calm down, Joey," Bakura pleaded. "I know how you feel, but that man's more than twice your size."

"I can take him," Joey insisted.

"No. Joey," Yugi said to him. "Fists aren't the answer. Violence won't solve anything." He began walking closer to PaniK, neither him nor the others taking notice of Tera's face twisting with disgust. "I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my life, and I'm afraid there's only one way to deal with them." The Millennium Puzzle glowed with radiant light...

* * *

 _.~~~._

* * *

The chaotic events had ended, Mai got back her star chips, the gang had a run-in with Kaiba, and now everyone was sound asleep - well, everyone except for two sisters.

(A/N: Sorry I cut out nearly two episodes/chapters, but with little time to work on this fanfic I had to get things moving along.)

The girls decided to go to for a little stroll. A silence engulfed the two for quite some time until Delilah spoke up. "Man, I didn't expect to see Kaiba here of all places."

Her sister didn't respond to her. Rather, she kept on walking, her mind clouded with anger. It kept going back to Yugi's words. Before his duel with PaniK.

 _"Violence won't solve anything."_

Tera's head filled with voices that were no her own. _"How dare he,"_ they said. _"Your kind used violence to solve your little magical 'problem'. You're notorious for your violent ways, you heathens, barbarians. You used violence to rid yourselves of magic, to gain riches that weren't that rightfully belonged to the blessed."_

"How hypocritical," the black-haired girl concluded out loud. Her sister squeezed her shoulder tightly, snapping her out of her daze. "You'll destroy the entire forest if you keep that anger bottled up."

Tera looked at Delilah questioningly and in response, Delilah pointed towards her hand with was - at the moment - lodged inside a tree. In her frustration, she had ended up punching a hole in it. Violence. How wonderful.

"Is it because of Kaiba? Do you want to talk about it?" Delilah asked. "We've been over this. You can always talk about it."

"No. I'm fine now." Tera tried to give her most reassuring smile, but she doubted it worked. After all, she and her sister have been together since her birth. Of course it wouldn't convince her (which it didn't).

"Okey-dokey. Then let's go back to camp. We'll need our sleep if we're going to see this through." Delilah grabbed her sister's hand intertwining their fingers. Tera smiled - a real smile - and, squeezing her sister's hand, nodded. "Right." Though she was sure she would have nightmares, she needed some sleep.

* * *

 _.~~~._

(╯˘ -˘ )╯

 _"Now you lay me down to sleep..."_

 _.~~~._

* * *

"Okay, everything's all set in this bag, Sis," Delilah said. The tent that had been up the previous night was now down. Mai had also left a short while ago, leaving the other girls to take care of what was left. "How about you and Tea?"

"I think we're all set here, too." Tera had been feeling much better. In fact, it was the first time she could actually say that in ten years. That night, instead of nightmares - which she had grown used to - she had weird dreams, bizarre ones. It was a step up from the norm.

"We're ready to head out."

Then, suddenly, the sound of someone shouting could be heard not too far away. "Everybody, wake up!"

"Who do you think that could be?" Delilah said, an unamused look on her face. Clearly, she knew who it was. _Thank God none of my other mornings start like this_ , she thought.

"Let's go find out," Tea suggested. Taking their possessions with them, the girls headed over to where the boys were sleeping. Joey's outburst had woken them up. 'Hey, guys, what's all the commotion?"

"Good morning," Yugi greeted the three. Tera had to force herself to swallow her annoyance towards the boy - though she wondered why she felt more annoyed and hateful than any other time.

"Where's Mai?" Joey inquired. "Isn't she with you?"

"She said she had to go," Delilah informed them. She took a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Yugi, telling him, "She also said to give you this note."

Apparently, it had something to do with Mai owing Yugi star chips, but from the look on Yugi's face, there was probably something more going on. Tera didn't really care. She had gone into tournament mode within that moment and was ready to narrow the competition. Bring it on.

* * *

 _.~~~._

* * *

"I wonder how many duelists there are left on the island," Bakura said as they walked through the forest.

"They shipped a couple dozen home yesterday," Joey answered.

"I'm sure more have been eliminated by now," Delilah had added. What she failed to mention was that her twin sister had gone on a dueling spree during the night - but, in her defense, she only found out a little while ago when they started walking. She wasn't even sure how many more star chips Tera won. Sometimes that girl could be terrifying.

"And some of them were really good players with powerful cards too," Yugi said. "We could be next."

"Not a chance," Tristan said. "Those other guys just wanted the prize. You and Joey have a lot more at stake."

Tera slowed her pace but didn't stop walking with the others. She looked towards the ground.

"That's true." Yugi agreed. "I've got to rescue Grandpa from Pegasus, and Joey needs the prize money to help his sister." He turned to Tera whose attention was now fully on him. "By the way, class rep, why did you enter this tournament? Was it for the prize money?"

Tera was not prepared to be put on the spot like that. Everyone was looking at her now, expecting some kind of answer. What should she do? Should she tell them? No way, she couldn't trust them. Even if she told them something, would it even come out correctly - without any mumbles or stutters? And what about her sister?

"Pegasus has my family on the edge of a cliff," she answered in a quiet voice, "I came on the island to somehow negotiate with him." The foreseer looked at Delilah for backup. In her opinion, it wasn't really a lie. What she said was true, she just didn't give any details. Luckily, Delilah nodded her head in affirmation. "Mm hmm. But a little warning to the three of you. The duelists you'll face will be even stronger. Like you, they survived the first round," she made a very serious face, "and they'll be hell-bent on winning. No pressure though!" And just like that, her demeanor changed from a somber one to a more cheerful one.

"Even stronger?" Joey had stopped moving. Worry clouded his face.

"Uh oh. Careful what you say, pres," Tristan teased. "You've got little Joey here shaking in his sneakers."

"What? You think I'm a scared little puppy dog?"

"Well, if the collar fits." Both prepared themselves to rumble, however, Tea stepped between the two. "Break it up, you two."

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched, and it would take a little longer for two of them to notice.

* * *

 _.~~~._

* * *

Tera's ears twitched a little. Someone was watching from somewhere. She wasn't the only one to notice though.

"Did you hear that?" Joey asked. "I think we're being followed."

" _I_ think that you're getting a little paranoid," Tea replied. Tera tried to affirm Joey's suspicions, but she couldn't say it loud enough.

"You've been acting hyper ever since you woke up this morning," Tristan said. "Man, what the heck is eating you, anyway?"

"I'm telling you, somebody's stalking us!" Joey shuddered and ran from the others, not wanting to be there much longer.

"Where are you going?"

"To stalk _them_!"

The others waited nearly half an hour for the blonde to return, but he never came back.

"Joey's been gone an awfully long time," Yugi stated.

"You don't suppose he got lost?" Delilah suggested. She didn't want to admit it, but she was started to grow worried for Joey.

"No way. But he could have been challenged to duel."

They decided that if they split up they would have a better chance finding him. After some time searching, they returned to their original location, but no one could confirm finding Joey. However, after searching as one big group, they had found his wallet. Nearby, they saw a cave. With the possibility of Joey being inside, the gang went in.

"What is this place?" Tristan said. In front of them stood two large coffins, both designed the same way.

"Be careful," warned Yugi. "It could be some kind of trap."

"What's up with those coffins?"

"Beats me. Who'd leave them just standing here?" Bakura placed a hand on one of the coffins. Tea did the same despite the others' warning.

Two skeletons fell out of the coffins and onto Tea and Bakura. Utterly terrified, the two ran in circles trying to get them off. Feeling bad for them, Tera grabbed both skeletons and then threw them down in disgust. "Pegasus and his weird sense of humor," she muttered.

"You said it."


	9. Into the Arena of Lost Souls

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any components from other anime, manga, or other literary work. I also do not own any songs. I only own the Matsumura family and future OCs. Please enjoy the story.

* * *

 _Long ago,_ _in a time when Earth did not exist - an era in which magic reigned supreme - the first humans lived on a planet called Foreheim. These humans, the Forsir,_ Homo pythonicus _, were magical beings that not only manipulated the forces of magic and its energy but also manipulated science as well. They were divided into twelve tribes and lived in twelve different regions, based on their dominant magical abilities._

 _Now, only one seer remains - the new queen, Salem, known to her peers by her birth name. She is trapped in a world that sees her both as a monster and a way to become rich._

* * *

They ran through the tunnel, not certain of where they were going but sure that it had to be somewhere. Finally, they stopped, all panting - well, all except for Tera. She was used to running for a long time.

"We're all here, right?" Tristan said. He looked behind him, and it dawned on him that Bakura was nowhere to be found. "Hey, where's Bakura?"

"We didn't take any turns," Téa said, "so where could he have gone?"

"This is problematic," Yugi muttered.

"Maybe we should go back and look for him," Delilah suggested. "I doubt it's a good idea to leave him back there."

A voice echoed throughout the tunnel, bouncing on the walls. It belonged to none other than Bakura.

"Bakura!"

"Down here, Bakura!"

"Hey! Wait for me!" he called. As he ran closer to the others, coming into view, they saw a skeleton on his back. With the exception of Tera, the others ran away in terror.

"Hey! Wait!"

Once again, Tera pulled the skeleton off Bakura's back and threw it to the ground. _I swear I did this not too long ago_ , she thought. _And where did he find another one?_

The other girls, Yugi, and Bakura lied on the ground. "I'm tired, I can't move..." Téa complained.

"Same..." Delilah added weakly.

"Well, thanks to that, we've gotten pretty far," Yugi said.

Bakura apologized.

"Anyways, Yugi, which way should we go?" There were two paths: one to the left, one to the right. Neither looked safe or inviting. "Come to think, Joey can't stand occult stuff."

"At any rate, we need to find Joey as soon as we can!"

If only it could be an easy task. Getting up, Bakura's foot stepped on something - a trap most likely.

"Sorry, it's my-" Bakura started, but Tera hushed him with a quiet "Shh." Something was approaching... but it didn't seem like a person. In fact, other than herself and the people around her, she couldn't hear the breathing or heartbeat of a living creature. And she was trying really hard to do so.

"It's getting louder," Tristan said.

"It sounds bad," Téa said.

Delilah addressed her sister. "Hey, Yin. Any idea what that is?"

Tera replied. "The longer I listen to that sound, the more it sounds like-" Before she could finish her thought, a boulder large enough to touch the ceiling and the walls of the tunnel came within sight. The others, terrified, ran down the left path, leaving her behind. The boulder passed by, too, also taking the left path. "-a boulder. But a fake one."

She sighed. _I guess they'll find out soon. Jeez, what is with Pegasus and his weird sense of humor?_ Tera started down the left path, following the gang and the (fake) boulder, until she came across Bakura lying on the ground, petrified, wondering why he wasn't dead. She crouched down next to him and cautiously poked his side to make sure he hadn't died of fright.

Then she heard the sound of a balloon popping. "I guess they found out, albeit a little late." One thing about Tera is that she would often forget that other people - sapiens - weren't born with the sharp senses of her people... or that she even had those sharp senses granted how long she's lived without another foreseer around.

"You okay, Bakura?" Delilah asked. She rubbed the back of her head. "Man, Pegasus played us well."

Tristan was so angry that Tera could've sworn she saw the veins on his forehead. "THAT PEGASUS BASTARD! I'LL KILL HIM!"

* * *

 _.~~~._

(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ

 _"Tristan, you're going to pop a blood vessel if you don't calm down."_

 _.~~~._

* * *

After collecting themselves, the gang took the other pathway, which, thankfully, didn't lead to a dead end. Rather, it lead them to the person they were looking for.

"Joey," Yugi yelled. At the sound of the his name being called, Joey turned around. "Yugi, everyone!" he said.

"There's a duel arena here?"

"Joey, why the hell are you dueling here?" Tristan asked the boy.

"It's not like I wanted to!" Joey replied. He pointed to a man - blond with an American bandana - and those with him. "Those guys ganged up on me and dragged me here!"

"Huh?" Delilah said. "Well, that's a shitty move."

She tried to take a step forward but the man's goons - the ones who weren't dueling - stepped between Joey and the others. "You're not messing with this duel," one of them said.

"Just try and stop us, asshole."

The other one said. "You're going to have get through us, little lady."

Delilah's eyes flickered in anger. "The hell you call me?"

"Fine by me!" Tristan said. Both he and Delilah charged forwards. The goon with the glasses flicked a little ball at Tristan's forehead, catching him off hard, leaving an opening for the other guy to punch him in the gut. Tristan fell on Delilah before she even had a chance to react.

"Tristan!"

"Deli!" Tera attempted to rush to her sister's aide, but Delilah held a hand up - a signal for her to stop.

Joey had tried to the same, but it meant that he would have to surrender and forfeit his star chips.

Téa shouted, "This duel's illegal!"

"Shut up," the blond man said. "No matter what the circumstances, he accepted the match, so it will continue."

"He's right," Tera said. "He agreed to the duel."

"Joey," the pained voice of Tristan said, "you damn well better not lose to them. You have something to protect!" He threw an item to Joey - the wallet with the picture of his sister in it.

"Tristan..."

"Are you gonna continue or give in?"

The man with the bandana claimed that he didn't care either way, believing that he would be leaving with Joey's star chips.

This angered Joey who demanded to know who the man was.

"Me?" the man asked. "I'm Bandit Keith."

"Bandit Keith?!"

"The guy Kaiba was talking about?"

"He's been back-seat driving my duel?"

Bandit Keith and his goons proceeded to pester Joey throughout the rest of the turn, poking fun at him, trying to get him to give up as he set down a monster face down. His opponent drew a card, claiming that it would stop all his defenses.

 _Stop... defenses?_ Tera thought. She pulled her book of Duel Monsters cards, flipping through the pages until she found the page she looking for. "Stop Defense _."_

The boy placed the card face-down, threatening to activate it should Joey play a monster in defense mode. He then destroyed Joey's face-down monster.

Joey summoned the Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000). "If I can't defend, then I'll just attack! Red-Eyes, slaughter that king!" Red-Eyes Black Dragon destroyed Pumpking, bringing the boy's Life Points down to 855. However, Red-Eyes was destroyed by another opposing monster, bringing Joey's Life Points down to 150.

"This is the end, kid!" Bandit Keith said.

"No, it's not," Yugi said. "Just think, Joey. There's a card in your deck that can reverse this!"

Joey drew another card and, from his facial expression, it seemed to be the one he needed. Then he summoned the Battle Warrior (700/1000) in attack mode. "I'll play this magic card to turn the tables! Go!"

The others watched on as the Zombie Army's attack went down to 0, switching with its defense power.

"Battle Warrior's attack and defense points switch as well!" Joey said. Battle Warrior then attacked Dragon Zombie at Joey's command, ending the duel.

Bandit Keith stood up and began to leave, calling his goonies to follow him like lost puppies.

"Guys, look I'm really sorry," Joey said, the small guilt evident on his face. "I didn't mean to drag all of you into this mess."

"You're a lot of trouble, you know that Wheeler?" Delilah commented.

Tristan said. "Next time, don't be in such a big hurry to run off on your own."

Looking at the three, Tera thought that it was a pretty interesting dynamic. When it came to Joey, Tristan and Delilah had some similarities. She hadn't noticed that before.

"It's all right," Yugi assured. "We know that it wasn't your fault."

"It doesn't matter. But now we can get out of here," Téa said, waving towards the exit. The journey back was less stressful. In fact, they walked back to the entrance. It wasn't until they saw daylight that trouble began. As the gang ran towards the light, the entrance was being sealed off.

None of them had a chance to escape before they were enveloped in darkness.


End file.
